Land Conflict

People’s access to land rights constitutes the basic building block for livelihood and sustenance of individuals , families and communities, especially in agrarian societies.

Land reform program brings about changes in social power balance, rules and norms, as well as institutional structures; and as such they tend to provide some regulation to some societies, while creating sources of conflicts for others. However, it needs to be stressed that with or without land reform, tension and conflict are a part of every society when the issue of land security is concerned. Erosion of land security is a source of human grievance that can contribute to land conflicts.

Land conflicts are the most evident social manifestation of land insecurity. The nature of such insecurity often remains undefined, but may also appear in the form of latent tension or social dependency, institutional or legal uncertainties, or economic difficulties. A variety of factors and rules inherent in land ownership and use may contribute to insecurity, including geographical boundaries of land held by neighbouring units, communities or states.