environmental degradation as a cause of conflict in - Steiner Graphics

ural conditions in the country. They advance the following arguments:• Difficulty of keeping and sticking to one piece of agricultural land withoutshifting in cases of dwindling soil fertility. This point is particularly valid insandy soils and qoz lands;• Limiting the mobility of individuals and groups, particularly the landless andnomads. Traditionally, customary procedures and communal ownership of theland accommodate and cater for such mobility;• In case of permanent ownership of the land through formal registration, thenative administration powers will be weakened and will lose the respect andcommitment of the people;• Complication and cost of formal land registration may impose unnecessaryburden on the rural poor.However, there are some arguments in favour of land registration. Supporters ofland registration in rural areas usually consider the following:• Due to increasing trend of land commercialization in agricultural areas, particularlyalluvial soils, owners and transactions should be supported by formalland registration documents.• Land registration documents are often officially required for eligibility forcredit and agricultural facilities.• Small-holders will be protected from any future displacement in case of largedevelopment projects.• Permanently-secured ownership of land is more likely to induce and encouragerational use of land by the farmer.• Modern statuary legal system is more consistent, fair and free from any tribalbias than the native more or less tribal administration.These points of argument in favour of land registration are more suitable to be consideredin cases of water harvesting and water spreading schemes in Darfur.RecommendationsGeneralThis paper asserted that the traditional tenure and land use forms has been considerablymodified and adjusted according to social and economic changes takingplace at the local level. Conflicts arise as the result of outside intervention contraryto the traditional systems. It is found that both formal and informal institutions64