Customary Land Tenure in Liberia - Land Tenure and Property ...

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possibly because men have lost interest in these crops due to low coffee prices. In Ylan Clan, most of the coffee
trees are neglected or have been felled to plant rubber trees because coffee has lost its economic value.
Oil Palm
The production of palm oil from the fruit and kernels of oil palm trees was reported to be an important
livelihood activity in Ding, Dobli, Gbanshay, Mana, Nitrian, Tengia, Little Kola, Saykleken, Upper Workor, and
Ylan Clans. Citizens of Upper Workor declared the palm to be “the king of all trees.” Palm oil is used in the
home for cooking, as well as sold for cash. In regards to the latter use, one member of Dobli Clan stated that,
“Palm oil gets fast money.”
While a few farmers have cultivated palm plantations (e.g., in Ding, Saykleken, and Mana Clans), many simply
plant a few trees near their homes or rely on wild palms which grow naturally in the bush. Even in Little Kola,
which engages heavily in palm oil production, citizens rely principally on harvesting the abundant wild palms that
grow naturally in their clan‟s territory. In Saykleken and Ding, palm plantations were originally private farms,
though today everyone uses the trees. The palm plantation in Mana is the only one of its kind in the clan,
reportedly because the saplings are difficult to acquire and wild palms are plentiful.
In Motor Road Clan, there is a fledgling community-managed palm farm, initiated as a livelihoods project by an
environmental NGO. However, this farm is in poor condition and is not well-maintained. Further, wild palm
trees are scarce in this clan, as many trees were cut during the war to harvest palm cabbages for sustenance,
thereby killing the trees.
In general, men are responsible for climbing palm trees and cutting the ripe nuts to make palm oil. Many
members of the studied clans asserted that this job falls to the men because they consider it too dangerous for
women and children to climb trees. However, women often gather the nuts from beneath the trees and bring the
nuts to town after men have cut them. Typically, they also participate in the palm oil making process.
Some clans also tap palm wine to consume and sell, including Dobli, Gbanshay, Little Kola, Nitrian, Saykleken,
Tengia, and Upper Workor. In Mana and Ylan Clans, those that tap palm wine to sell are considered to be
among those enjoying the lowest well-being. In Ding, palm wine tapping is reportedly rare because it is frowned
upon by the church for the same reason sugar cane is: it involves producing an alcoholic drink. Only in Motor
Road Clan do people not tap palm wine. Clan members in that clan reported that, while they liked to drink palm
wine purchased from other clans, they have no tradition of tapping it. Palm wine is typically made from wild
raffia palm rather than oil palm. One technique involves felling of the tree while another leaves the tree standing.
We were told that most often, the tree dies after it is tapped for palm wine.
Other Life Trees
Other than rubber, palm, cocoa, and coffee, several other life trees play an important role in rural livelihoods,
including coconut, orange, kola, and mango (“plum”) trees. The prevalence of these life trees differed according
to the geographic location of the studied clan. For example, Little Kola Clan and Nitrian Community, both
located on the Atlantic coast, have many coconut trees which serve as important life trees. In Little Kola, several
products are made from coconuts (e.g., coconut cookies, coconut water, desiccated coconut, etc.) and are sold in
the local market; these products are an important source of income for clan citizens. In Mana and Dobli, orange
trees are considered important life trees and serve as a source of cash. In Upper Workor Clan, kola trees were
also important. According to Upper Workor Clan members, kola is a symbol of peace. Like the primary life trees
described above, these trees that were less common in the studied clans are often used by farmers to establish a
permanent claim to land through the act of planting them.
3.2.3 Household Divisions of Labor
The household is the major source of agricultural labor. Generally, clan members reported that husbands and
wives work together in their livelihood activities. However, there were certain activities that were largely assigned
to women and others that were assigned to men. Almost invariably, however, we heard of cases of men doing
CUSTOMARY LAND TENURE IN LIBERIA