Formalizing Rural Land Rights in West Africa

This paper presents early evidence from
the first large-scale randomized-controlled trial of a land
formalization program. The study examines the links between
land demarcation and investment in rural Benin in light of a
model of agricultural production under insecure tenure. The
demarcation process involved communities in the mapping and
attribution of land rights; cornerstones marked parcel
boundaries and offered lasting landmarks. Consistent with
the model, improved tenure security under demarcation
induces a shift toward long-term investment on treated
parcels. This investment does not yet coincide with gains in
agricultural productivity. The analysis also identifies
significant gender-specific effects. Female-managed
landholdings in treated villages are more likely to be left
fallow—an important soil fertility investment. Women further
respond to an exogenous tenure security change by moving
production away from relatively secure, demarcated land and
toward less secure land outside the village to guard those parcels.