Role of Women in Maintaining Suburban Agricultural Land in Togo (West Africa)

The preservation of suburban agricultural land in the face of rapid urbanization in the West African region has been a major problem in recent decades. This paper examines the land tenure strategies used by farmers in relation to their assessments of the impact of urban growth. It is based on individual surveys conducted among farmers and landowners on the outskirts of the city of Lomé in Togo. This study reveals that perceptions differ according to gender and that women—although marginalized by customary land tenure—play an important role in maintaining suburban agricultural land. These women perceive the urbanization process as an opportunity for suburban agriculture, unlike men, and develop two local land tenure strategies that are favorable to the maintenance of suburban agriculture land.