‘Só para o Inglese ver’ – The Policy and Practice of Tenure Reform in Mozambique

Abstract

The paper examines the fundamentals of Mozambican land policy from a livelihoods perspective and identifies considerable potential for improving the sustainability of rural livelihoods and the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of policy instruments aimed at increasing security of tenure. The impact of the cancellation of private land applications in one province is examined, and the paper argues that, notwithstanding the apparent official reluctance to implement this element of the policy, the impact has been almost wholly beneficial for local community groups. The uneven implementation of the law, the absence of official resources for community land delimitations, and the cursory manner in which local consultations are conducted are identified as the major blockages to realization of pro-poor policy objectives.

Citation

Norfolk, S.; Nhantumbo, I.; Pereira, J. ‘Só para o Inglese ver’ – The Policy and Practice of Tenure Reform in Mozambique. Institute of Development Studies, Brighton, UK (2003) 32 pp. [Sustainable Livelihoods in Southern Africa Research Paper 11]

‘Só para o Inglese ver’ – The Policy and Practice of Tenure Reform in Mozambique

Published 1 January 2003