EFFECTS OF LAND TENURE SYSTEMS ON AGRICULTURAL

DEVELOPMENT A CASE STUDY OF STUDY OF ABUAD FARM

 ABSTRACT

The study examined the effect of land tenure system on agricultural development

in Abuad Farm. It provides both qualitative and quantitative information about the

prevailing agricultural land use practices in the study area. Various aspects of the

existing agricultural practices (such as land use types, mode of access to land,

implements and labour characteristics and agricultural inputs) were examined to

ascertain the linkage between the land tenure and agricultural output and income of

farmers. The survey covered a sample of 300 farmers drawn from different

location using stratified and systematic random sampling procedures. The

information on the farming system shows that, a great number of farmers (70%)

mostly cultivate small plots using traditional farming implements. The chi-square

technique was used to test the relationship between the farmers’ prevailing land

tenure practices and the agricultural output of the study area. The study therefore,

recommended: the expansion of Fadama (floodplain) farming, land tenure

reformation and farm consolidation, improving the techniques of farming,

provision of credits to farmers, formation of co-operatives and provision of

infrastructural facilities in the area.

 TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background Of The Study

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

1.3 Aim And Objectives Of The Study

1.4 Research Questions

1.5 Significance Of The Study

1.6 Scope And Limitation Of The Study

1.7 Organization Of The Thesis

1.8 Definition Of Terms

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Concept Of Land Tenure Systems

2.2 Evolution Of Land Tenure System In Nigeria

2.3 Main Sources Of Land Law In Nigeria:

2.4 Overview Of The Land Tenure Types:

2.5 Agricultural Land Use In Nigeria

2.6. Land Tenure Security And Investment On Agricultural Land

2.7 Effects Of Land Tenure Systems On Environmental Degradation And

Agricultural Development

2.8 Land Tenure System And Agricultural Efficiency And Productivity

2.9 Effects Of The Land Tenure System On Agricultural

Development

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Research Design

3.3 Population Of The Study

3.4 Sample Size And Sampling Technique

3.5 Method Of Data Collection

3.6 Method Data Analysis

3.7 Validation Of The Instrument

CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

4.1 Introduction

4.1 Data Presentation And Analysis

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Summary Of Findings

5.2 Conclusion And Recommendations

References
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Land is the basis for every form of physical development and constitutes the

primary medium for food production, for the provision of shelter and

utilities, for the manufacture of goods and the establishment of institutions to

support the basic needs of modern communities (Lasun and Olufemi, 2006).

Hence, it’s the farmers’ most important asset and plays essential role in

increasing as well as sustaining the agricultural production. Ukaejiofo

(2009) noted that land lies at the heart of social, political and economic life

of most African countries. He stressed further that, it is the key factor for

economic growth and development of every nation and the foundation for

shelter in the urban areas as well as the source of livelihood in the rural

areas. Therefore, it is an indisputable source of employment and wealth.

However, ownership of land often interferes with its use as an agricultural

asset. The right of people to own, use and control land and its resources are

known as land tenure system. The term land tenure is derived from the Latin

word tenere which means ‘to hold’. According to Ogolla and Mugabe

(1996), tenure defines the methods by which individuals or groups acquire,

hold, transfer or transmit property rights in land. Subsequently, Land tenure

can be conceived as the relationship, whether legally or customarily defined,

among people, as individuals and groups with respect to land and other

natural resources (Food and Agricultural Organisation of United Nations

(FAQ), 2005). Doner (1964) defines land tenure as the ‘actual legal,

contractual or simply understood customary arrangements whereby people

in agriculture try to arrange for an initial access to route to the income flow

and the way by which these routes are secured’. In Dorner’s perception, the

level of productivity in the agricultural sector is a factor of the level of

agricultural income. He contends that, the levels of agricultural income are

affected by the degree of access to rights in land. Consequently, the thrust of

his definition is to ensure a system of tenure, which does not only guarantee

an initial access to rights in land and income, but also ensures the security of

that access.

Land tenure system is a very much complex since the system is derived from

customary rules that do not have any fixed set of ‘instructions for use’

regarding land and other resources. The Customary Land Tenure (CLT)

systems are based on informal local practices that vary from community to

community and are usually flexible and negotiable through verbal

agreements (Agbosu et al, 2007). According to Riddell, (1987) and Lowe

(1986) it is mostly an expression of social relationship with a certain

flexibility in adapting to change and addressing the interaction between

society and its resources.

In Nigeria where this study was conducted, for example, control and

management of land can be put under three main categories which are stool

lands (lands under customary laws), public lands (under statutory laws) and

private lands (Appiah 2013). Under Customary Law (CL), the Chief in the

traditional area becomes the custodian of the land and manages it on behalf

of the local community (Appiah, 2001). About 80% of lands that are not

under national reservation- those often in demand for forestry projects—are

held under Customary Law, with different tenure and management systems

(Agbosu et al, 2007).

Communities can have access to lands through customary inheritance

practices, where land and associated resources can be passed on from father

to son or parents to children or from one family member to another member

of the family. Other means of acquiring land under CLT have been described

by Kasanga (2002) and Agbosu et al (2007). They are through share

cropping, as practiced mainly by migrant farmers, and also by leasing land

from indigenous family heads and traditional authorities. The terms and

practices vary locally according to the settlement history of the traditional

areas and land use practices. However, land secured under each of the

avenues can still be redistributed to people outside of the original household

through a system we could term as sub-leasing or sub-tenancy.

A major problem that has not yet been addressed, but is attributed to land

conflicts in Nigeria, is the flexibility and the lack of written agreements

under the Customary Law of Tenure systems. This lack is believed to create

the potential for wrong interpretations of responsibilities and specifications.

Another major concern under the CLT system is that ownership can be

claimed from “long use and association” with communal land.

Unfortunately, tree planting, which is the main component of all of the forest

carbon or reforestation projects, is considered to be one of the acts that can

guarantee “long use and association” with a piece of land. As a result, tenant

and sub-tenant farmers are often discouraged by land owners from planting

trees or have no incentive to do so since they may not be beneficiaries of the

planted trees (Appiah, 2001).

With increasing population in the urban and rural fringe communities, the

need for a secured and productive land for agriculture and other ecosystem

goods and services has become an issue of concern for local communities

Worldwide. Because without a secured tenure there are no prospects for

 successfully involving local communities to engage in sustainable

agricultural production. Consequently land tenure systems in this study area

has become necessary to look at its effect on agricultural development in

Nigeria.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

In spite of the vital economic contribution agriculture often provides to

society the GDP of the nation, one of the potential major constraints to

successful implementation of agricultural practice and development is land

tenure system and its related challenges, such as litigation over land among

farmers, landowners and migrant-settlers of Nigerian local communities.

The problem of land acquisition, litigation and customary claim to the right

of admitted farms and settlements are causing insecurity in land ownership

and hindering sustainable management of these resources including crop

production, animal rearing and tree planting on degraded farm lands. Despite

the significant contribution of agricultural to the local livelihoods and the

and ecological well-being of the nation land tenure systems have pose a

threat to agricultural development. it is against this background that this

study seeks to examine the effect of tenure system on agricultural

development of Nigeria.
1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The aim of this study is to examine the effect land tenure system on

agricultural development in Nigeria, with particular interest in Abuad farm.

To achieve this aim, the following specific objectives shall be pursued:

1. To determining the characteristics of land tenure types in Abuad farm

2. Determining the link between access to land and farmers’ level of output in

the study area.

3. Assessing the relationship between land holding and land use practices in

the study area.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the prevailing land tenure systems in Abuad farm?

2. To what extent has the tenure system in Nigeria posed constraints to land

acquisition?

3. To what extent has the amount land owned influenced the farmers’ level

of output?

4. How has the size of land possessed impacted on the kind of agricultural

land use?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The main occupation of Nigerian rural communities is agriculture which

includes production of food crops and cash crop farming. The agricultural

activities have and continue to degrade the forest reserve. Worst still, the

land tenure arrangement in most rural area is unclear and insecure

consequently preventing the land users from engaging in different forms of

agricultural activities.

On this basis this study was conceived to investigate the effect of land

tenure systems on agricultural development in Nigeria. The result of this

research therefore will serve as a guide to Nigeria government at both local,

state and federal level and the policy makers on the implication and effect of

the current land tenure system on agricultural development therefore giving

the chance to make favorable policies and programmes that will enhance

agricultural development in Nigeria at all level.

The findings of this research will also contribute to the wealth of knowledge

thereby serves as a reference materials to researchers and students who are

interested in researching further on the subject matter.

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study is limited to the effect of land tenure system on

agricultural development in Abuad farm. The study will be limited to the

forms of land tenure systems in Nigeria rural areas with particular interest in

Abuad Farm.

Limitations

In the course of carrying out this research work, several challenges were

encountered. Some of these challenges are:

a. Administering and gathering of questionnaires in real estate development

firms was not an easy feat.

b. The entire project was very capital intensive, gathering information on

sources of project financing.

c. Organizations are not ready and willing to review the source or sources

of their project financing.

1.7 ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS

This study is organized into five chapters. Chapter one, gives readers the

historical background of the study, statement of the research problem, the

general and specific objectives of the study, the significance of the study,

scope and limitation and the organization of the study. Chapter two (2)

focuses on the Conceptual Framework of the study. Chapter three introduces

 the methodology used in the study. It discusses the materials and methods

for this study. Chapter four presents the results and the Chapter five the

discussions on the study findings including conclusions and

recommendations of the study.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Land: Land, sometimes referred to as dry land, is the solid surface of Earth

that is not permanently covered by water. The vast majority of human

activity throughout history has occurred in land areas that support

agriculture, habitat, and various natural resources. Some life forms

(including terrestrial plants and terrestrial animals) have developed from

predecessor species that lived in bodies of water.

Land tenure: Land tenure is an institution, i.e., rules invented by societies

to regulate behaviour. Rules of tenure define how property rights to land are

to be allocated within societies. They define how access is granted to rights

to use, control, and transfer land, as well as associated responsibilities and

restraints.

Agriculture: Agriculture is the cultivation and breeding of animals and

plants to provide food, fiber, medicinal plants and other products to sustain

and enhance life.

Land Mass: Land mass" refers to the total surface area of the land of a

geographical region or country (which may include discontinuous pieces of

land such as islands). It is written as two words to distinguish it from the

usage "landmass", the contiguous area of land surrounded by ocean.

Agricultural Development: Agricultural Development and Policy. Working

to reduce hunger and poverty, and improve the sustainability of rural

livelihoods in the face of increasing social, economic and physical shocks

and stresses.
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 CONCEPT OF LAND TENURE SYSTEMS

Land tenure issues have become increasingly important in the developing

world. Problems such as high population pressure, increases in resource

degradation, recurrence of food shortages, and the low capacity of the non-

farm sector to siphon-off the excess population from rural areas have made

land tenure a politically sensitive issue. A land tenure system cannot be

understood except in relationship to the economic, political, and social

systems which produce it and which it influences (Bruce, 1998). Downs and

Reyna (1988) noted that land tenure systems may be thought as sets of rules-

at sometimes customs, at others laws- concerning people’s rights to land,

together with the institutions that administer these rights and the resultant

ways in which people hold the land. Rules of tenure define how property

rights to land are to be allocated within societies. They define how access is

granted to rights to use, control, and transfer land, as well as associated

responsibilities and restraints (FAO, 2002). Hence, land tenure is more about

property rights in land and the way such rights are administered. There is

also widespread evidence that well-defined and well enforced property rights

on land are the main instruments for increasing tenure security, empowering
a flourishing land market, facilitating the use of land as collateral in credit

markets, enhancing the sustainability of resource use, and preventing

environmental degradation (Atwood, 1990; Deininger & Binswanger, 1999;

Platteau, 2000; FAO, 2002).

The indigenous land tenure in Nigeria is communal (Osemeodo, 1991).

Access to land is based on membership of a land holding community by

birth. The communal tenure enjoys strong proprietary and security rights to

biotic resources in rural areas between and among two or more indigenous

settlements respectively. Break down in traditional tenure and disputes on

boundary marks have made governments to be involved in boundary

adjustments in administrative units throughout the country; for communities

to have exclusive rights to discrete areas of land.

When the tenure system is stabilized at the local level, it responds to changes

in land use from communal to individual. But at the village level, the tenure

system involves some element of societal control of land use (Bruce, 1988).

Land is allocated to individual indigenous farmer or household for farming

where land has no conflicting rights. Land is passed from generation to

generation with customary rules of succession. Nevertheless, where

agricultural cultivation is stabilized, dominant user rights are acquired on the

 land by the individual farmer and the land reverts to individual ownership

within the family land or the village land.

The commercialization of agricultural production through cash crop

production, cocoa, rubber, oil palm and coffee stabilized land use and led to

inheritance of land and individual land ownership. The land tenure

recognizes properties to land titles, promotes strong attachment to land and

perpetrates unequal access to land. The policy of land under the system is

that local land owners:

 Have full user rights over all land acquired through pioneer clearing,

inheritance, sale, gift and rights to manage and control existing wild biotic

resources, water and soils for domestic and commercial purposes;

 Release land for public use through sale, loan or traditional process of

negotiations;

 Recognize and respect communal land tenure as relates to boundary marks

among different land holding units, traditional shrine forests, public lands

and

 Have full control on the land for agricultural production in terms of farming

period, the cropping system and the length of fallow. He is not answerable to

misuse or abuse of land.

 The individual land tenure has led to the concentration of land in few hands

thereby depriving others of subsistence opportunities. Land ownership is

skewed in favour of the rich to the disadvantage of the poor who eventually

remain landless or refugees in their traditional lands. The alienation patterns

of land result in extensive subdivision (Chubb, 1961) generated by

indigenous inheritance on one hand and in the other, the differences of soils

and topography of the environment which encourage farmers to own

fragmented parcels of land in different locations. In the face of unsettled

agricultural development some tenure systems secure farm and not land

(Bruce, 1988) and farmers may lose land for communal development thus

creating insecurity for private lands and forest reserves which are

particularly close to settlements.

2.2 EVOLUTION OF LAND TENURE SYSTEM IN NIGERIA

Land is a common denominator wherein the peoples economic live lies on.

Its tenureship depends or differs from slightly society from society to

society. The principal method of land acquisition in Nigeria includes:

inheritance, purchase, lease, pledge, exchange and gift (NEST, 1991).

a. INHERITANCE: in nearly all parts of Nigeria, land is seen to belong to

people and a male child by virtue of being a member of the family is

expected to inherit his father’s land/property.

b. PURCHASE: purchase of land in the past was seen as a taboo but

today, the story is almost a different one as culture is dynamic. Also the

increase in demand for economic and other purposes for land has made it

possible for transaction in land to hold.

c. LEASE: lease as far as land deals is concerned is limited to a number of

years, people can lease land for determinable period of time.

d. PLEGDE: there is no time limit to pledge. This is mainly because a

piece of land obtained under pledge will revert to its owner when the

pledge is redeemed.

e. EXCHANGE: here two consenting parties mutually transfers to each

other one or more parcels land, this exchange is either to place the

transferred plots closer to the location of the new owners, to give one

party a new, larger and desired building site or cultivation space, or some

other reason. Payment of money may or may not be involved and

ordinarily the exchange is permanent.

f. GIFT: as in the case of land exchange, land acquired as a gift has been

relatively rare in Nigeria in recent times, this is reflection of somewhat

sharp increases in the market values of both rural and urban land within

the last 26years. It is also partly as a result of serious shortages of land in

 the face of rapidly rising population and not-so-rapidly rising family and

personal income.

2.3 MAIN SOURCES OF LAND LAW IN NIGERIA:

1) THE CUSTOMARY (NATIVE LAW AND CUSTOMS OF THE

LAND: This would be viewed from two perspectives which include the

customary law and that under Islamic law. While the former is seen as

the overriding principle guiding all types of customary law in Nigeria.

Land here is seen as that which belongs to God and human merely have

the right to use. Acquisition is by settlement on the virgin and through

cultivation, building etc. Under this a well straight hierarchy of authority

exist, the Apex is the traditional ruler and grant is from the family head

or community. Non-native can only gain access by necessary consent of

the family head. The latter sees land as public property, use is free as

long as it does not prejudice the public. The Emirs holds and exercise

administrative control over vacant land in the interest of the Muslim.

2) THE RECEIVED ENGLISH LAW: The common law of England, the

principles of statutes of general application were introduced into Nigerian

law. The common law of property may apply in Nigeria where customary

property law is not applicable etc.

 3) LOCAL LEGISLATION: in the northern part, various existing systems

of customary tenure were all replaced by Islamic law during the Fulani

conquest; some of the laws include the 1962 land tenure law. In the

southern state, colonial authorities introduced the concept of individual

ownership of property and authorised conveyancing of land that could be

registered with the government and various laws and ordinances gave

government the power to expropriate statutory holdings in return for

compensation.

4) THE LAND USE ACT: the Act purports to take over the ownership and

control of land in the country thereby providing a uniform legal basis for

a comprehensive national land tenure system. The Act embodies the

procedure for the transition from customary to state sanctioned tenure of

land substituting the authorities of several states for the traditional

owners or local chieftains in the sectoring of the working rules regarding

the use, occupancy and transfer of land. The Act was very clear on the

administration of federal, state and local government lands respectively.

2.4 OVERVIEW OF THE LAND TENURE TYPES:

Types of land tenure system may include; communal, individual (private)

and public (state).

Communal land tenure: Communal land tenure is based on the inalienable

and equal rights of joint ownership of land by every member of the

community, with some appointed members, usually elders and titled men,

given the responsibility to act on behalf of others as custodians of the land.

In eastern Nigeria, communal land tenure has given much encouragement to

both small-scale and large-scale agricultural production. Oluwasanmi (1966)

remarked that the communal land tenure system, through the provision of

land to members of the community, brings them together. Malinowski

(1935) maintained that the customary land tenure systems supports both

moral and social justice by giving everyone access to the means of

subsistence. Communal tenure, according to Oluwasanmi (1966) and Arua

(1980), acts as a strong cohesive force in an agrarian society and affords a

cultivator a stake in the major assets of the community and assures him a

secure place in society.

Individual land tenure: Under individual tenure, land is available to the

individual owner for agricultural proposes, but may be given out to others on

a rental basis, especially for cultivation. In many rural areas in eastern

Nigeria, outright purchase of such land is difficult; in a few, it is even

prohibited by the lineage or clan. Land may be pledgeable but is inalienable.

In spite of these restrictions, the outright sale of land to individuals by either

family members or even whole communities is becoming a lucrative

business in some rural communities in eastern Nigeria, especially in peri-

urban areas (Arua, 1978; 1980). This has resulted in a class of well-to-do

landed gentry, members of which have bought out the rural poor in an effort

to promote a market economy which in most cases has turned out to be a

"money economy illusion" (Arua, 1978).

Public land tenure: State-held lands are usually made available to

individual or private investors, cooperative societies and other organizations

or groups of individuals on request, if approved by the state governor. The

land so acquired can be used for agricultural, industrial, commercial or

residential purposes, although it is most commonly used for agricultural

production in rural areas. Such projects are usually large since the state is

able to allocate sufficient land. This enables investors to embark on large-

scale production on secure tenure terms. Employment opportunities are

created in such communities and, by using local raw materials, the

inhabitants enjoy increased income and improved welfare. However, the

area of state-held land in rural areas is small, hence the small number of

projects located on such lands. Consequently, rural dwellers generally

benefit more from the numerous enterprises located on communal land.

2.5 AGRICULTURAL LAND USE IN NIGERIA

There is a considerable diversity of opinions about what constitutes

agricultural land use. One opinion that has much merit for our purpose is

that: agricultural land use refers to the activities of man on land which are

directly related to the growing of crops on fields. It is conceptualized as the

activities carried out on lands which aid the growth of crops. Some of the

different land-use categories are: rain fed agriculture, irrigated agriculture,

permanent crops, permanent pastures or rangeland and fallow. Generally,

agricultural land use involves both the manner in which the biophysical

attributes of the land are manipulated and the intent underlying that

manipulation for agricultural purposes. An important feature of agricultural

land use is regional variations, in particular, in intensity of use.

Agricultural land use in Nigeria may take one of the following forms:

market gardening, commercial food crop farming, plantation agriculture

(eg., rubber, cocoa, palm products, forest products), subsistence agriculture,

forest clearing and forest culture, fishing (and part time farming), hunting

zones, poultry farming, livestock and pastoral activity, collection and

gathering.
2.5.1 LAND USE INTENSITY

Agricultural intensification is increase in the use of inputs on a smallholding

in order to increase output per hectare (Tiffen, Mortimore & Gichuki, 1994).

Examples are land use intensity, labour use intensity, manure use intensity,

fertilizer use intensity, seed use intensity, crop diversification and intensity

of animal traction. Intensive use of land for agricultural production is now

one of the major sources of agricultural growth in many developing

countries. However, this practice has been recognized as one of the most

significant human alteration to the global environment (Matson, Parton,

Power & Swift, 1997).

The agricultural intensification to date has caused environmental and social

problems.

The use of careless methods and excessive agrochemicals has led to many

well-known problems in human health, loss of biodiversity and destruction

of natural resources. These have produced a popular backlash against

intensive agriculture. Whereas further intensification seems to be an absolute

prerequisite in order to meet the future food needs, there is a general unease

about the growing sophistication of agricultural technology, especially when

it is applied in new areas with insufficient prior testing.

Dwindling arable land frontier and population pressure in most developing

countries where the need for poverty alleviation is critical have forced the

resource poor farmers to practice both intensification and extensification.

The intensification if not properly planned and executed could exacerbate

the erosion problem. The limited available arable land has made shifting

cultivation a thing of the past. In this circumstance, the same piece of land is

tilled every year. With the fragmentation of land by families, the land

witnesses each succeeding year with more pressure, resulting in the

extension of cropping onto marginal lands (Adelana & Ojo-Atere, 1997;

Agbonlahor, Aromolaran, & Aiboni, 2003; Oyekale 2007).

Generally, in the study of agricultural land-use intensity, one of the issues

that call for concern is the determination of what constitutes intensity.

According to Shriar (2000), agricultural land-use intensity could be

measured either in an output or input oriented way.

They further said that when the focus is on output, intensity can be measured

in production units (calories, tons and monetary values) per area per time

unit. In the input oriented approach, the amount of input is measured and

weighted using appropriate surrogates, for instance, frequency of cultivation,

crop combination and proportion of farmland cultivated.

2.6. LAND TENURE SECURITY AND INVESTMENT ON

AGRICULTURAL LAND

Land tenure security is essential in stimulating the development of land

since many local and foreign investors are hesitant to invest in land when

tenure is insecure. Tenure security has the potential of increasing credit use

through greater incentives for investment, enhancing the collateral value of

land, facilitating land transfer from less efficient to more efficient users,

reducing the incidence of land disputes and raising productivity through

increased agricultural investment (Oladele, Kolawole & Wakatsuki, 2011).

The reverse may also be true. Investment in land can also lead to

improvement in tenure security in that, investors would like to secure the

land once they have made some investments in it. The lack of land tenure

security could also bring about environmental degradation. Efficient

property rights play an important role if the land market in Nigeria is to

operate efficiently and bring about good environmental management. One of

the major barriers to development in Nigeria is the inability to convert

property such as land into usable assets, which is largely due to the lack of

clear-cut and legally recognized property rights. This has resulted in tenure

insecurity conflicts and bad environmental practices. While many studies

argue that efficient private ownership leads to good environmental practices,

others hold the opposite view.

The relationship between land tenure security and investment is more

complex than it appears. This is because of the nature of causality.

Generally, many studies indicate that secure tenure increases incentives to

undertake productivity enhancing land-related investments. There are three

main links between land rights and investment incentives and these have

been explicitly identified and formally modelled in the literature (Shaban,

1987; Feder & Feeny, 1991; Besley, 1995). The first link captures the

positive relation between the tenure security and investment incentives

(Jacoby et al., 2002). The second link emphasizes the effect of the rights to

collaterise land on the investment incentives (Feder & Feeny, 1991).

The third provides a link between investment incentives and land transfer

rights (Besley, 1995). Secure individual rights over land leads to higher

levels of labour and management effort, which in turn encourages higher

levels of investment to protect or enhance land fertility (Feder & Feeny,

1991). In the area of agriculture, Feder, Onchan, Chalamwong &

Hongladarom (1988), illustrated that increased tenure security is expected to

enhance the productivity of farmers through the intensification effect, which

reflects the effects of land tenure security on the incentives to invest,

particularly in capital goods attached to land. First, if the farmer believes

that he/she will be allowed to reap the long-term benefits of current

investments. Second, tenure security can increase farming productivity

through an increase in allocative efficiency, which reduces the problem of

lack of credit faced by farmers with tenure insecurity. Third, with limited

access to credit, farmers allocate inputs under quantitative constraints. With

secure tenure as collateral, these constraints are eliminated and farmers can

borrow freely to increase their application of inputs to profit- maximizing

levels. Several studies, for example (Bruce, 1988) have also questioned the

direction of causality between tenure security and investment, arguing that

tenure security may not cause investment to increase but rather investment

may stimulate tenure security. A study by the World Bank (Migot-Adholla

et al.,1994) on Ghana concluded that tenure security has a clearly positive

impact on investment in the Anloga area but a less noticeable impact in

Wassa and no influence in Ejura. Brasselle, Gaspart, and Platteau (2002),

allowed for endogeneity between investment and tenure security in a study

on Burkina Faso and found a reverse causality from investment in land to

tenure security as farmers use investments such as planting trees to improve

their tenure rights over the associated land. Place and Hazell (1993),
 Sjaastad and Bromley (1997) and De Zeeuw (1997) argue that in Sub-

Saharan Africa some land improvements, particularly the planting of trees, is

a well-recognized method of enhancing tenure security for holders of

temporary or fragile claims. In areas where title acquisition and maintenance

involve real expenditures, it is a priori possible that farmers tend to register

land parcels that benefit from relatively high levels of investment or those

with better profitability conditions justifying such expenditures (Roth,

Cochrane, & Kisamba-Mugerwa, 1994). In this case, registration does not

stimulate investment but is positively related to it. A study on 36 villages in

central Uganda concludes that investment enhances tenure security, yet the

reverse is not true (Baland, Gaspart, Place, & Platteau, 1999).

2.7 EFFECTS OF LAND TENURE SYSTEMS ON ENVIRONMENTAL

DEGRADATION AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

Land tenure systems influence the use to which land is put for economic and

social development. Yet land use determines whether a resource could be

conserved or not; and the level of conservation attainable for natural

resources. Land tenure is a tool for conservation and it involves sets of rules

and regulations used to control and manage natural resources: soils, water,

wild living resources and the environment. In environmental economics, a

major bone of contention is which regime of property rights is appropriate

for environmental resources management. Hardin (1968) established that

open-access to lands leads to the depletion of resources and environmental

goods, which he referred to as the “tragedy of the commons”. The

assumption made by Hardin was that rational private owners would never

knowingly exploit their resources to destruction. However, according to

Clark (1973) and Afeikhena (2002), this assumption was empirically

unfounded as studies had shown that individual private owners had often

done exactly what Hardin assumes they would not do.

Empirically, Heltberg (2002) found that land tenure security led to natural

resources being used in a conservable and sustainable manner, but this was

contrary to the findings of Lutz (1998), that in Central America, increasing

concern over deforestation and environmental degradation has motivated

renewed attention being paid to land titling and the securing of property

rights. Foltz, Larson and Lopez (2000), found for the North-Western

Nicaragua that formal types of land-tenure were positively related to the

number of trees on the property.

However, Faris (1999), established a negative correlation between land

rights and the number of trees on the property in the southwestern

Nicaraguan agricultural frontier. The explanation given is that wealthier

 landowners, who were found to possess formal titles, had a greater

propensity to cut down trees for the purpose of raising cattle. Over the years,

land tenure had been the decisive factor in resource management at the local

level. Unfortunately, the impact of tenure on natural resources allocation and

exploitation is often ignored in public land policy. Yet land tenure issues

contribute to deforestation, degradation of the environment, lowering of

carrying capacities of soils, poaching and extinction of wild biotic resources.

2.8 LAND TENURE SYSTEM AND AGRICULTURAL EFFICIENCY

AND PRODUCTIVITY

The large majority of research examining the linkages between tenure

security and efficiency find there to be little relationship. The first major

study of this was Place and Hazell (1993) that found no evidence of

productivity differences across different bundles of land rights in Rwanda,

Ghana and Kenya. This includes both direct effects and indirect effects

through investments. Hunt (2003) finds similar results for Kenya in that the

registration programme itself has not appeared to yield significant results on

productivity due to reasons such as an undeveloped credit system. Gavian

and Ehui (1999) estimated total factor productivity differences across plots

under different tenure arrangements in Ethiopia (note that none of the types

were ‘private’ in that land ownership is vested in the state). They found that
 efficiency measures and input use were offsetting across tenure arrangement

and thus the observed differences were negligible. Pender, Nkonya, Jagger,

Sserunkuma and Ssali (2004), similarly did not find evidence that land

tenure arrangements or titling had an effect on agricultural intensification in

a national level study in Uganda. However, the mode of acquisition was

significant – purchased plots tended to have a higher value of output than

inherited plots or rentals/borrowals. Deininger, Ayalew and Yamano (2006)

found that tenure security variables did impact on productivity in Uganda

through their impact on investments in trees, but had no other direct effect.

2.9 EFFECTS OF THE LAND TENURE SYSTEM ON AGRICULTURAL

DEVELOPMENT

The agrarian reform measures adopted in Nigeria: changes in ownership

structure and credit support system may enhance agricultural development

but it may not solve the problems of the peasantry. The 1978 land use

Decree may free the land from the stranglehold of the community members,

land speculators and heirs who are not interested in the productive use of the

land, thus making land available to potential farmers. By eliminating the

payment of Isakole or rent, the Decree will liberate the creative energies of

erstwhile customary tenants by ensuring that they reap the benefits of their

labour without having to share the proceeds with the landlord. The member
of the family who has been farming a piece of land can apply for a

Certificate of Occupancy, thus freeing the land from the incumbrances

inherent in family land.

Land Use Decree can enable a commercial producer acquire maximum

amount of 500 hectares for agriculture of 5,000 hectare for grazing, rent-

free. The Decree has also reduced ail land holders or users to lease-holders.

This eliminates the necessity of investing large sums of money in acquiring

title to land or build up equity in land. A judicious execution of the Decree

may remove the bottleneck of land availability, a problem usually faced by

large scale or commercial producers. Credit policies can be employed to

encourage the adoption of both biological and mechanical technology.

Provision of credit will enable farmers acquire « modem inputs » including

improved seeds, fertilizer, lime, agricultural chemicals and livestock feeds.

They will increase food production and may reverse the present trend and

thereby make Nigeria self reliant in food production. On the other hand, the

land use Decree may widen the gap in income distribution between the rich

farmers and the poor peasants. There may result a large scale expropriation

of peasant farmers in an attempt to provide land for the few commercial

producers. Those who have political and economic powers may employ it to

the disadvantage of the peasants.

Access to credit facilities may be linked to the status of the applicants and

their station in life. Collateral requirements are often formidable; repayment

ability often decides who gets the credit facility and since there can never be

enough money to go round, 95 per cent of the peasant farmers may not

secure institutionalized credit. Taking property by confiscation can have

destabilbing effects upon the investment decisions of the better off farmers.

It may be regarded as a pointer to future continual levelling or a precursor of

socialism.
 CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter expresses the means by which data are being collected, which

comprises of the method used such as primary and secondary sources of data

collection and the number of people involved in sample size in respect of the

data collection.

3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN

The researcher used the survey research method. This is found to be most

appropriate for this study. As the aim of this study is to know the effect of

land tenure system on agricultural development in Abuad Farm, survey

research is one that studies both large and small population by selection of

sample, chosen from the population in order to discover vital fact from

people on their belief, opinion and attitudes. The research method to be used

in this study is the survey research method. Questionnaire is necessary

because the population to be studied is large to be observed directly. It is

also a suitable method when collecting vast number of data because it makes

data arrangement and computation easy.

3.3 POPULATION OF THE STUDY

Population refers to the total number of people living in a giving place

performing an activity individually or collectively. The population of this

study comprise farmer in Abuad Farm town the Abuad Farm state capital.

3.4 SAMPLE SIZE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

Sampling is used to enable all categories of people have equal opportunity of

being represented. The sample size is the selected part of the population,

using random sampling techniques as well as the Yemane’s formula: n =

N
1 + N (e )2 with degree of 10% error.

Therefore, the sample size for the study is 300. The sampling techniques

adopted for this study is the systematic sampling techniques, which allows

the researcher to systematically choose respondents after every five building.

3.5 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION

The researcher makes use questionnaire and personal interview to collect

data from the research population.

Questionnaire: A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a

series of questions for the purpose of gathering information from

respondents. The researcher adopted the use of closed ended questionnaire, a

 closed-ended questions are those which can be answered by a simple "yes"

or "no,". The questionnaire is structured in such a way that options are

provided by the researcher in line with the aims and objectives of study.

Personal Interview: Personal interview is used to probe the answers of the

respondents and at the same time, to observe the behavior of the

respondents, either individually or as a group. The personal interview was

used to supplement and confirm the contribution of the respondents through

the use of questionnaires.

3.6 METHOD DATA ANALYSIS

The researcher make use of statistical tools such as tables, percentage and

descriptive methods to presents and analyzed the data gathered from the

field survey which was considered appropriate for the research.

3.7 VALIDATION OF THE INSTRUMENT

The instrument for the study was critically examined by the researcher

supervisor to ensure the items validity in terms of clarity and relevance to

the study. The supervisor endorsed the instrument as valid.

 CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

4.1 INTRODUCTION

In presenting primary data generated from the field, the researcher chooses

to apply simple percentage tabular presentation mode. This is for

convenient, clarity and for better understanding. The researcher presented all

the questionnaire items, contained in the questionnaire that would provide

answers to the researchers identified problem.

All the presentations shall be according to questionnaire items and

responses. In this study, three hundred (300) copies of questionnaire were

administered to respondents. Two hundred and thirty five (235) copies

(79%) returned their copies of the questionnaire. However, 65 copies was

not retuned which is (21%) Therefore, the analysis in this chapter is based

on 235 copies of questionnaire.

The table will be used in analyzing the data and will be reduced to

percentages.
4.1 DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

Table 1: Gender of the respondents

Gender Frequency Percentage

Male 148 63%
Female 87 37%
Total 235 100

Source: Field Survey, 2024

Table 4.1 present a distribution of respondent according to their sex. 148

respondents (representing 63% if the total population) are male while 87

respondents (representing 37% of the total population are female.

Most respondents (by 63%) are male while few respondents (by 37%) are

females. Majority of the respondents are male, this however does not affect

this study because it is not a gender issue.

Table 4.2: Marital status of respondents

Marital status Frequency Percentage
Single 58 25%
Married 126 54%
Divorced 11 5%
Separated 10 4%
Widowed 30 12%
Total 235 100%
Source: Field Survey, 2024

Table 4.2 above shows that 58 respondents representing 25% were single,

125 respondents representing 54% were married, 11 respondents

representing 5% were divorced, 10 respondents representing 4% were

separated while 30 respondents representing 12% of the total population of

the respondents were widowed. The analysis above shows that majority of

the respondents were married followed by those who are single.

Table 4.3: Age distribution of respondents

Age Frequency Percentage
21 – 30 45 19%
31 – 40 60 26%
41 – 50 50 21%
51 -60 47 20%
61 and above 33 14%
Total 235 100%
Source: Field Survey, 2024

Table 4.3 above shows the age distribution of the respondents. Majority of

the respondents forming 81% were above the age of 30 years that is 31 and

above, this implies that majority of the respondents are old enough to give

valid input to the study.

Table 4.4: Occupation distribution of respondents

Occupation Frequency Percentage

Civil 75 31.91
Servants
Farmers 129 54.89

Traders 31 13.19

Total 235 100%

Source: Field Survey, 2024

Table 4.4 above shows that 75 respondents representing 31.91% were civil

servants, 129 respondents representing 54.89% were farmers engaged in

various forms agricultural activities while 31 respondents representing

13.19% were traders. The analysis above indicates that majority of the

respondents were farmers.

Table 4.5: Distribution of respondents by level of education

Level of Education Frequency Percentage

Never went to school 27 11.91

Primary 55 10.64

Secondary 63 18.29

ND/NCE 100 37.02

BSC/HND 45 14.89

Post Graduate 17 7.23

Total 235 100%

Source: Field Survey, 2024

Table 4.5 above shows that 27 respondents representing 11.91% have no

form of formal education while the majority of the respondents representing

over 88% have one form of formal education or the other which ranges from

primary school education to post graduates.

Table 4.6: Prevailing land tenure systems in Abuad Farm

Land Tenure Frequency Percentage

System
Communal 41 17.45

Freehold 68 28.94

Family 45 19.15

Rented 81 34.47

Total 235 100%

Source: Field Survey, 2024

Table 4.6 above shows the prevailing land tenure systems in Abuad Farm,
the analysis reveals that rented land and freehold land tenure systems are the
most prevailing with communal and family land tenure systems closely
followed.
Table 4.7: Extent to which tenure system in Abuad Farm posed constraints

to land acquisition for agricultural practice

Extent Frequency Percentage

Very High 130 55.32

High 68 28.94

Low 25 10.64

Very Low 12 5.11

Total 235 100%

Source: Field Survey, 2024

Table 4.7 shows the extent to which land tenure systems in Abuad Farm

posed constraint to land acquisition for agricultural practices. 130

respondents representing 55.32% were of the opinion that the land tenure

systems to a very high extent affects land acquisition for agricultural

practice. 68 respondents representing 28.94% goes for high extent, 25

respondents representing 10.64% goes low while 12 respondents

representing 5.11% goes for very low. The analysis above shows that the

land tenure systems posed a great threat to land acquisition for agricultural

purpose.
Table 4.8: Extent to which amount land owned influenced the farmers’ level

of output

Extent Frequency Percentage

Very High 130 55.31915

High 68 28.93617

Low 25 10.6383

Very Low 12 5.106383

Total 235 100%

Source: Field Survey, 2024

Table 4.8 shows the extent of amount of land owned influence the farmers

level of output in Abuad Farm. 130 respondents representing 55.32% were

of the opinion that the amount of land owned by farmers to a very high

extent level of output. 68 respondents representing 28.94% goes for high

extent, 25 respondents representing 10.64% goes low while 12 respondents

representing 5.11% goes for very low. The analysis above shows that the

amount of land owned by farmers greatly affect the level of farmers output.
Table 4.9: Effect of Land Tenure Systems on Agricultural Output in

Abuad Farm

Land Tenure System Output (tones) Total

Less than 500 500 – 1000 1000 - 1500

Communal 20 35 5 60

Freehold 2 5 12 19

Family 25 23 20 68

Rented 15 23 50 88

Total 62 86 87 235

Source: Field Survey, 2024

Table 4.9 above demonstrates the relationship between systems of land

tenure and agricultural output in Abuad Farm, the table reveals that, famers

who rented land have higher output of agricultural production than

freeholders and communal owners. This indicates that, renters of land who

usually have small parcels of land go on more intensive agriculture resulting

into higher yield.

 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

This has revealed that:

a. The control of land especially for agricultural uses in Abuad Farm is almost

exclusively dominated by the males

b. Only about 63% of the farmers are physically active, while the remaining

37% are above the age of 50, which are less capable of providing the type of

efforts required by using hoe and other local implements to till the soil.

c. Farmers in Abuad Farm are predominantly polygamist.

d. Over 90% of the farmers in the area are literate to varying degrees.

e. There is a vast land for agricultural uses in Abuad Farm However,

subsistence and relatively commercial production predominates.

f. About 50%. i.e. half of the farmers in the area acquired land for agriculture

through inheritance.

g. The awareness of the importance of documents to support claims over land

or plots is on the increase in Abuad Farm. Almost 50% of farmers possessed

all sorts of documents to back up their ownership status, while about 40%

lacked certificates to validate their claims over land.

h. 40% of the farmers in the study area have less land now than they had five

years ago indicating that family land is being fragmented with increase in

the family size.

i. The study area is an agrarian community in that 100% of the inhabitants

practiced arable cropping.

j. 50% of the farmers in the study area are freeholders and renters.

k. Farmers who rent land in the study area have more yield of agricultural

production.

l. The dominant source of labour which has been debilitated by rural/urban

migration and the influence of formal education. Hence, labour constitute a

major constraint to agricultural production in Abuad Farm.

m. The major agricultural inputs used by farmers in the study area are

fertilizers, and herbicides.

n. Capital constitutes a major limitation to farmers in Abuad Farm seeing that,

over 90% of them survive through meager savings out of profits or profits

from farm proceeds.

5.2 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the major findings of this study, it could be readily observed that,

the tenure right is a major barrier to the development of agriculture in the

study area and to solve the problem, it would sound logical to propose a

strategy whereby available land is fairly distributed among the farmers and

that would be through the land tenure reformation and land consolidation

method. Hence, the following recommendations are made:

1. Attention should be focused on agricultural innovations that are small

farmers centered.

2. Fruit, livestock and fish farming should be encouraged to reduce over

dependence on arable cropping.

3. Dry-season farming and gardening through irrigation should be

developed in addition to rain fed agriculture in order boost up agricultural

production.

4. Government is enjoined to assist the farmers with loans and other

agricultural inputs to enhance large scale production through mechanized

farming.

5. Farmers are advised to form cooperatives, a medium through which they

could be easily reached and their pressing issues of interest handled.

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