Improving land tenure security? An evaluation of the application of the VGGT framework in Post-colonial Zambia

Abstract

Land is a natural resource which has gained immense attention in recent years. Popularly used for the development of infrastructure, food production, farming, livestock, and other uses, this resource is vital for any country, let alone economy. While some countries boast vast amounts of water banks, others are land-locked, land abundant, and/or less utilised. This underutilisation and abundance has attracted financially capable investors from foreign countries with the hope of successfully purchasing and developing land for various projects. This trend has become common in less developed countries as they tend to have huge tracts of what is being termed available land. As a result, the rush for land has risen steeply due to an increase in land use. Land types differ but in most developing African countries, the most popular types are state and customary land. In some African countries like Zambia, the majority of the population dwells on customary land and depend on it for their livelihood. Land investments in Africa have sky rocketed over the years and while this may appear economically beneficial for some countries in need of economic growth, it has deceitfully resulted in some unpleasant outcomes, such as land grabs and improper land transactions. As a result, land tenure security has become a hot topic in developing countries due to this increase in improper land transactions taking place across the African continent and beyond and because, as a source of livelihood for rural communities, land is becoming scarce. To address this, a number of international organisations have been at work to assist countries with strategies, policies, or tools to improve their land governance and enhance tenure security. This study focuses on the application of such international standard tools in a local setting, particularly the Voluntary Guidelines on the Governance of Tenure (VGGT).