An investigation into forest ownership and customary land ... - Fern

Chapter 3 – Customary land tenure today
Table 23 – Number of farm plots in one town in Rivercess County
sample
(100%)
persons in
hh
number of
farm plots
total acres*
clears forest
for new farm
annually
1 15 13 16 yes yes
2 6 10 10 yes yes
3 15 8 7 never yes
4 22 20 25 yes yes
5 2 5 5 not now, in
past
6 6 7 8 every 2-3 yrs yes
7 25 40 50 every 3rd yr yes
8 1** 8 8 every 3rd yr yes
9 6 25 25 every 2nd yr yes
10 17 7 10 every 2-3 yrs yes
11 10 15 15 every 3rd yr yes
12 7 21 21 never yes
13 5 10 10 not now, in
past
14 20 14 15.5 yes yes
retains
usufruct all
plots
2 of 5
yes
179
14 155 203 225.5
averages 11 persons 14.5 16.1 28.5%
clear forest
annually
43% clear
after 2-3 yrs
28.5% never
now clear
forest for
farming
99.1%
* Each household has a large number of plots, only 2-4 acres of which are annually farmed (usually
around 2 acres for rice and two for cassava).
** The only female headed household, a widow.
Incomplete return as yet of many families and family members in the community
is partly behind a shift in labour relations on the one hand and additionally avails
families the use of other people’s farms on the other. In addition ‘everyone is in
a hurry to start farming again after the war’. There is also some anxiety (noted
only in Nimba County) that if land is left uncultivated too long it is more vulnerable
to capture by strong outsiders or elites from within the community. People
who have not re-started cultivation may find their usufruct challenged by others,
often by younger returnees, looking for areas to farm.