Land tenure issues in river basin development in sub-Saharan Africa

An overview and policy analysis, presented first, discusses: (1) factors affecting the choice of land tenure arrangements (social and institutional factors, type of irrigation project, and the need for deperissement or withering away of central control); (2) holdings size and plotholder selection criteria; and (3) the security and conditionality of tenure. Provided next are case studies outlining specific irrigation and land tenure issues in the Senegal River Basin in Senegal, the Niger River Basin in Mali, Sudan"s Northern Province, various projects in Kenya, the Sabi River Basin in Zimbabwe, and the Central Highlands in Madagascar. In addition, nascent irrigation efforts in Mauritania are discussed. Although each case study was conducted independently, they reveal the similarity of land tenure issues with respect to irrigation development, e.g., the importance of ecological considerations and the need for farmer participation in irrigation planning. A 17-page bibliography (1924-86) is appended.