Resource information
Key findings:
"There is no landlessness in the village
and the shifting cultivation land is divided
equitably for farming. However,
there is the concern that part of their
shifting cultivation area has been classified
as reserved forests by MOECAF. So
this land could possibly be granted by
government to businesses.
The villagers did not apply for titles during
the latest land registration process.
The community does not wish for private
land registration even on terraces
because villagers believe that if someone
gets private ownership for a terrace
or tea garden, then other people
may also ask for it and the whole community
may lose all the other lands
which are not put under private ownership
(i.e. shifting cultivation land). The
villagers wish to keep all the land under
communal ownership, as even
owners of private terraces feel their
rights are secure within the community
and do not need SLRD land titles for
this. They would like to have such registration soon, as gold has recently been
found nearby and the villagers fear losing
their lands unless protected legally.
