Report draws attention to the structure of landholding as a set of mechanisms through which demographic changes in agrarian societies can alter the natural environment: demographically-induced change in the structure of landholding: farm holdings generally become smaller as an ever-increasing number of households enter the agricultural work force and seek to derive their livelihood from this fixed resource base holdings tend to become more fragmented, not simply in the number of parcels operated but in the distances between parcels, as farmers look harder and farther for whatever bits and p

In recent times there has been a renewed interest in relationships between redistribution, growth and welfare. Land reforms have been central to strategies to improve the asset base of the poor in developing countries thought their effectiveness has been hindered by political constraints on implementation. In this paper we use panel data on the sixteen main Indian states from 1958 to 1992 to consider whether the large volume of land reforms as have been legislated have had an appreciable impact on growth and poverty.

This policy brief argues that the time, funding and institutional support required to carry out tenure reform in South Africa have been seriously under-estimated. Reformed tenure rights are ineffective and vulnerable if isolated from other entitlements such as training, finance and integrated development initiatives.

Social forestry emerged amidst important changes in thinking about the role of forestry in rural development and a growing need for fuelwood. In an attempt to alleviate the fuelwood crisis, the World Bank encouraged the planting of Eucalyptus species in its social forestry programs in the 1980s. Eucalypts were the chosen tree species for the majority of social forestry projects because they survive on difficult sites and out-perform indigenous species and most other exotics in height and girth increment, producing wood for poles, pulp and fuel more rapidly.

There are many commendable successes with respect to relief, recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation to assist the earthquake affected districts of North West Frontier Province3 and Azad Kashmir. The same, however, cannot be said unambiguously about housing reconstruction. Partly, the obstacles are rooted in Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) rigid procedures. In many areas, though, housing reconstruction has also become mired in the traditional land tenure regime.

In this short, polemical article, the author argues that NGO advocacy groups are acting against the interests of the poor and of international development through unreasonable criticism of the World Bank and similar agencies. The author argues that, in a typical situation, the Bank designs a reasonable project, which inevitably has flaws. NGOs seize on these flaws and add a large sprinkling of inflammatory rhetoric.

This paper is based on a series of studies conducted by the author on the settlement problems, work roles and educational experiments among nomadic Fulani in Plateau, Bauchi and Kaduna States, Nigeria, from 1982 to 1984.The first part of this paper describes the land tenure system in northern Nigeria and the way in which it affects pastoral nomads and plans for their settlement. The second part discusses the Nigerian Government;s intention to educate nomads and gives the example of special schemes which have attempted to do this.

This issue focuses on the economic, social and instiutional restructuring required in Afghanistan to achieve food security and justice.The major areas of action required include:the revival of Afghan agricultureaffirmative actions to restore Afghan women’s rightseducation to develop human capital The articles included are:From relief to recovery: rebuilding AfghanistanTribal strengths can help manage common landHungry for learning: food for education programmes

Land-use conflict is not a new phenomenon for pastoralists and farmers in Tanzania with murders, the killing of livestock and the loss of property as a consequence of this conflict featuring in the news for many years now. Various actors, including civil society organisations, have tried to address farmer-pastoralist conflict through mass education programmes, land-use planning, policy reforms and the development of community institutions. However, these efforts have not succeeded in the conflict.

Analyses the range of institutional arrangements being used for gaining access to land and natural resources in two regions of southern Benin.

Argues for certain basic re-thinking in the policy options for viable watershed management by combining local knowledge with the formal science through rejuvenated or revitalized traditional institutions. Part one reviews the policy environment in the light of some of the recent reports in India which have a major bearing on watershed development programs.

This study provides a concise overview of the information available on the land rights of indigenous peoples, with a focus on those in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. Successive chapters summarise the rights of indigenous peoples in international law and then examine how these rights are being recognised, or not, in Latin America, Africa and the Asia-Pacific.