Alternative scales for formalising communal land tenure by Borana in Ethiopia

A research team from ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), LARMAT (Dept of Land Resources Management and Agricultural Technology, University of Nairobi) and the Yabelo Pastoral & Dryland Agricultural Research Institute published the paper “An assessment of the implications of alternative scales of communal land tenure formalization in pastoral systems” in Land Use Policy 94 (2020) using a case study among Borana pastoralists in southern Ethiopia.

Land-tenure insecurity among pastoralism has led to efforts to formalise land rights, but this is complex because resources are used and managed collectively. The authors examine how pastoral “communities” should be delineated for strengthened land-tenure rights. They took a participatory scenario-building approach to investigate alternatives for land-tenure recognition in southern Ethiopia. Stakeholders, including the local Borana pastoralists, analysed the likely outcomes of communal tenure at different scales. They found that there is no single scale that is optimal; tradeoffs always remain among different objectives such as tenure security, flexibility, mobility and reduction in conflicts. There appears to be a good chance of success when the tenure policy is embedded within customary structures. The pastoralists regarded the Dheeda customary institution as best for maintaining flexible herd mobility; however, this leads to challenges with respect to tenure security. There are multiple uncertainties and complexities, which suggest the need for multi-pronged approaches and various support mechanisms when trying to improve pastoral land governance.

Posted on 1 May 2020 in Pastoralism & Natural Resources, Pastoralism, Mobility & Land Tenure