Jean-Pierre Sawadogo’s research while affiliated with Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo and other places

This article is based on the observation that the large debate on the nature and consequences of so-called indigenous land tenure systems does not sufficiently take into account the perceptions and interpretations of peasants themselves. Consequently, its aims are to provide people with a voice and to analyse their assessment of different forms of access to land, of the modifications undergone in recent times, and their adjustments to this change. The results of this qualitative approach are compared with some statistical information gathered by the authors in the study region as well as country-wide. As a result, one may conclude that peasants in this area do not feel insecure about their land tenure situation, and this assessment of their own position is confirmed by empirical data.

After a brief review of the recent discussion in literature on land tenure, the article examines the relationship between different forms of land rights, farming techniques and land productivity. In Burkina Faso, land rights of farmers are generally quite stable and secure, even in the absence of formal land titles. Farming practices do not significantly depend on the form of land rights that cultivators possess, and no differences in land productivity as a function of land rights were found. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd