Large-scale land acquisition and its implications for women’s land rights in Cameroon

The study illustrates that small holders, particularly women, are increasingly losing farmland. It questions the social development impact of large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in Cameroon in terms of better living standards and reduction of poverty. It also examines how and under what conditions women can be empowered to effectively engage with LSLAs to ensure that legal and policy frameworks foster better accountability and legitimacy in land governance. Most untitled land in Cameroon is now national land held under customary tenancy, without security. Field evidence suggests that most of the land acquired on national land was without due process.