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

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31 Women generally reported that they are primarily responsible for producing and selling vegetables and other produce. In most cases, women keep the money earned from selling their vegetables, usually to pay for school fees and other household needs. In Motor Road Clan, several clan members reported that families depend on what women sell at markets for cash because their husbands are not working. Mining tasks are also divided by gender. Men typically dig while women sift and wash the gravel. Women also cook for men who are digging. Men are commonly the ones to sell the minerals. 3.2.4 Markets Markets are an important source of livelihood in the clans that have them. In Dobli, Ding, Little Kola, Mana, and Ylan, markets provide clan members with an opportunity to sell their produce and purchase goods. Clan members sell their local produce at the market, while buyers come from outside the clan. The market also provides a place for clan members to buy salt, soup, spices, and other goods that are not produced locally. The availability of these particular goods more widely attracts buyers. For instance, buyers from Monrovia and Buchanan reportedly come to the Gbain market in Little Kola Clan, despite its remote location, to purchase the cassava and coconut products sold in the market. The clan has a sophisticated system of rules for managing the market, using the market to generate funds for town development, and attracting buyers. For example, canoe rides to reach the market are free on market day. As another example, the Saclepea Market, located in Ylan Clan and reportedly one of the primary markets in the country, has over 200 stalls; more than 2,000 buyers and sellers visit on market days. Many refugees in Ylan use the market to sell fufu produced in the Saclepea Refugee Camp. In clans without markets, residents must travel to nearby towns or rely on traveling buyers in order to sell their goods. For example, Saykleken residents must travel to the market in Fish Town. In Motor Road Clan, women wait by the main road that cuts through the clan in order to catch rides and transport their produce to market in Juarzon, Zwedru, and Greenville. They complain their produce often rots due to the scarcity of traffic and willing transporters. In Gbanshay and Tengia Clans, farmers depend heavily on motor bikes to transport their goods, making heavier products (e.g., cassava, tubers) unpopular products to sell. Buyers also come to these “marketless” clans to purchase crops directly, but frequency and reliability often tends to be more varied. 3.2.5 Livestock The importance of livestock as a source of livelihood varied considerably among the clans. We saw many sheep and goats in Gbanshay, Motor Road, Nitrian, Saykleken, Tengia, Upper Workor, and Ylan, but none in Little Kola or Dobli, and very few in Ding and Mana. In several clans, people reported that their livestock had been decimated during the war and that often herds had not been replenished. In some towns in Tengia, cows can also be found, but only where elephant grass grows as fodder. In Motor Road and Tengia Clans, NGO interventions have assisted in restocking livestock, but with mixed success. Animal survival is reportedly problematic. Sheep and goats are both sold and consumed, though consumption is often reserved for either special occasions or during periods of hunger. Also, sheep, goat, and chickens are sometimes used to pay off fines accrued from breaking customary rules. Interestingly, in Motor Road Clan, the research team learned that people care for small livestock on behalf of wealthier relatives who reside in Monrovia. Fowl, including chickens, ducks, and guinea fowl are more prevalent than small ruminants; chickens were found in every clan. They are both sold and consumed. Dogs are also very common. Most clans use them for hunting and as outdoor pets, though in some clans they are eaten on occasion. 3.2.6 Non-Timber Forest Products Some clans have primary forests and all have secondary forests (i.e., bush). In all studied clans, residents harvest non-timber forest products (NTFPs) from the forests, including firewood, poles, thatch, rattan, wild palm nuts, wild yam, monkey ropes, and medicinal barks and plants. They also catch fish from creeks and hunt game meat (see Section 3.2.7 below). CUSTOMARY LAND TENURE IN LIBERIA
32 3.2.7 Hunting and Fishing In most of the studied clans, citizens engage in the hunting and trapping of animals for both sale and consumption. Residents usually hunt deer, groundhogs, and other rodents using traps, guns, and hunting dogs. Other more exotic animals are also hunted in some clans. For instance, in Saykleken Clan, residents reported hunting monkeys and antelope. In general, hunting and trapping is the responsibility of men, though we heard a few cases of women setting traps for small game. The prevalence and type of hunting has changed over time. In several Image 3.3: Men in Little Kola Clan bring in their daily catch clans, including Ding and Ylan, hunting has decreased in conjunction with declining wildlife populations, which appears to stem from shrinking forest habitats. In Motor Road, clan members used to depend on hunting bush meat for their livelihoods. However, with the introduction of restrictions on hunting endangered species, clan members claim that they are no longer able to rely on hunting as a source of income, though they continue to hunt to supplement household food needs. In contrast, residents of Saykleken Clan sell bush meat, an important source of income for clan members. Fishing is carried out during the dry season, as high water levels during the rainy season make fishing too dangerous. Both men and women fish, but the water bodies they fish in and the type of technologies they use sometimes differ. In clans with rivers, such as Dobli, Ding, and Little Kola, men dominate river fishing and use canoes, hooks, and lines. In Little Kola Clan, men also fish in the ocean using nets. In all clans, women commonly fish in creeks, streams, and swamps using nets and baskets, though men sometimes engage in this type of fishing as well. Oftentimes, river- and ocean-caught fish are sold at the market, while those caught in creeks, streams, and swamps are kept for home consumption. 3.2.8 Mining Mining in Liberia is centered on iron ore, gold, and diamonds. Iron ore mining is not present in any of the studied clans, but both gold and diamond mining are prevalent in Mana and Dobli Clans. In these clans, artisanal mining of gold and diamonds comprise a major source of livelihood generation. The majority of clan members in Mana are involved in the mining trade, often done in conjunction with farming. Mana Clan women even reported that mining is the most important livelihood activity while men reported it as the second most important livelihood activity. By contrast, in Dobli Clan, most miners come from outside the clan and mining is not a significant livelihood activity for native clan members. In Ding, some farmers also work as artisanal gold miners as a secondary source of Image 3.4: Women dig for "glean-glean" in Mana Clan CUSTOMARY LAND TENURE IN LIBERIA
Page 1 and 2:
LAND POLICY AND INSTITUTIONAL SUPPO
Page 3 and 4:
LIBERIA LAND POLICY & INSTITUTIONAL
Page 5 and 6:
ii 1.0 Introduction ...............
Page 7 and 8: iv 4.2.1 Statutory Tenure Claims by
Page 9 and 10: vi 7.3.2 Courts ...................
Page 11 and 12: viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1: Ma
Page 13 and 14: x ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS CDC CF
Page 15 and 16: xii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report s
Page 17 and 18: xiv game for both sale and consumpt
Page 19 and 20: xvi manage tree crops where these a
Page 21 and 22: xviii In the clans we visited, stat
Page 23 and 24: xx DISPUTE RESOLUTION MECHANISMS Di
Page 25 and 26: xxii Recommended measures include t
Page 27 and 28: xxiv Remove land and governance au
Page 29 and 30: 2 This chapter begins with a presen
Page 31 and 32: 4 1.2 LAND TENURE AND RURAL LIVELIH
Page 33 and 34: 6 (Renner, 1931). Initially lacking
Page 35 and 36: 8 1.3 HISTORY OF LAND TENURE IN LIB
Page 37 and 38: 10 Certificate is merely a permit t
Page 39 and 40: 12 however, rights granted to commu
Page 41 and 42: 14 2.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This ch
Page 43 and 44: 16 Figure 2.2: FEWS-NET map of Libe
Page 45 and 46: 18 In each case, after completion o
Page 47 and 48: 20 3.0 LAND USE AND LIVELIHOODS Thi
Page 49 and 50: 22 Upland Rice Cultivated in each o
Page 51 and 52: 24 money quickly. However, they als
Page 53 and 54: 26 3.2.2 Trees In addition to food
Page 55 and 56: 28 large rubber farms ranging from
Page 57: 30 tasks assigned to women and vice
Page 61 and 62: 34 bush and fell trees on a farmer
Page 63 and 64: 36 men‟s focus on life tree culti
Page 65 and 66: 38 from one or more patrilineages,
Page 67 and 68: 40 Figure 4.1: Access to land for f
Page 69 and 70: 42 Figure 4.2: Children’s acquisi
Page 71 and 72: 44 Figure 4.3: Profile of borrowing
Page 73 and 74: 46 he/she is fully integrated as a
Page 75 and 76: 48 widows will sometimes marry a ma
Page 77 and 78: 50 Several communities have rules g
Page 79 and 80: 52 Bush and Forest Resources In all
Page 81 and 82: 54 Water and Fishing Access to wate
Page 83 and 84: 56 Other factors cited for contribu
Page 85 and 86: 58 Figure 4.6: Presence of differen
Page 87 and 88: 60 bush resources largely follows c
Page 89 and 90: 62 In Ylan, some land is held under
Page 91 and 92: 64 the majority of studied clans, t
Page 93 and 94: 66 We also found that, in the clans
Page 95 and 96: 68 In some clans such as Upper Work
Page 97 and 98: 70 Town Chiefs Town Chiefs represen
Page 99 and 100: 72 dispute resolution. 55 While in
Page 101 and 102: 74 such as Clan and Paramount Chief
Page 103 and 104: 76 some women who held positions as
Page 105 and 106: 78 could rely. This in turn produce
Page 107 and 108: 80 community sometimes encounter re
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82 rubber on adjacent land, as well
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84 In other clans, including Ding a
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86 Disputes over Mining Mana Clan c
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88 7.0 DISPUTE RESOLUTION Dispute r
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90 7.2.2 Chairladies In Dobli, Gban
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92 7.3.4 Disputes between Clans/Dis
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94 In some clans, the abundance of
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96 8.2.2 Scale of Ownership Claims
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98 If communities anticipate that t
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100 The importance of documenting c
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102 The current land tenure sys
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104 10.0 POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS In
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106 communities. Instead, we sugges
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108 apply for fee simple tenure. Th
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110 tenure unit. Instead, this role
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112 Tribal Certificates and Deeds R
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114 REFERENCES SECONDARY SOURCES Ak
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116 Wallace, Carolyn Gamiao and Rol
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118 DATE TIME ACTIVITY March 23, 20
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120 ANNEX 3: NORTHEAST TRANSECT, DO
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122 ANNEX 5: TOWN MAP, SAYKLEKAN CL
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124 ANNEX 7: HISTORICAL MATRIX, YLA
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126 ANNEX 9: DOBLI DISPUTE LETTER C
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128 ANNEX 11: TRIBAL CERTIFICATE FO
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130 ANNEX 13: SEASONAL CALENDARS, M
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132 ANNEX 14: COMMUNITY FOREST BY-L
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134 CUSTOMARY LAND TENURE IN LIBERI
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136 b. A family or individual shall
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138 a. Standing Rules Tree
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140 The amount of rattan collecte
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142 o o o o o o o Antelope Hippo
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144 Any community member or gro
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146 U.S. Agency for International D
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