Table 1 Land tenure arrangements in the Sahel
Tenure arrangement | Rights |
|---|---|
Inheritance | Full rights (access, withdrawal, management, exclusion, alienation). After the death of the family founder), the field commonly used by the family is passed to the children. The land is divided on the basis of the existing law. Each married male heir becomes a head of his household and of the share of land he inherited. |
Purchase | Full rights (access, withdrawal, management, exclusion, alienation). All ‘bundles of rights’ to the land, including exclusion and alienation, are sold from the land owner to the buyer. The buyer becomes owner of the land. |
Lease | Access, limited withdrawal and management rights (in accordance with Owner). The land is transferred in exchange for either money or any other ‘security deposit’. It remains at any time the property of the initial owner who holds exclusive alienation rights. The person leasing has certain management and usage rights. This tenure arrangement is valid as long as the deposit is not repaid |
Loan (temporary borrowing) | The land is loaned for a temporary or undefined period, without any security deposit or monetary transaction. Borrowed land stays at any time the property of the initial owner who holds exclusive alienation rights. The land may at any time be resumed by the owner. |