Côte d'Ivoire

In Côte d'Ivoire, land issues are crucial for agricultural development, social peace and the legitimacy of political authorities. From 1960 to 1980, the country experienced strong economic growth due to the strength of the agricultural sector, particularly cash crops for export. Encouraged by the policies of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny (1960-1993), many migrants, both Ivorians and foreigners, settled in the south of the country to practice agriculture. The "Ivorian miracle" ran out of steam in the 1980s. From 1999 to 2011, Côte d'Ivoire experienced a series of political crises and ethnic violence related to access to land.