Customary land tenure dynamics and women's access to land in the Mambay community

Abstract

International audience ; This paper presents and analyses data on women challenging customary land tenure arrangements, as they strive to gain access to much needed farmland. The research was conducted in the Mambay community: Bipare, Kaboung-ni and Kafinarou. It is clear that 'customary' law is always in the process of adapting itself to what is actually going on in the everyday lives of those who till and own land. Increasing land scarcity and the introduction of money into most local land transactions have transformed arable fields into high value commodities. These and many other changes have important repercussions for local land relations and affect the way the customary tenure system operates. Women's husbands' and fathers' lineages are no longer the only social spheres that predetermine their opportunities to access land. On a certain level, by making strategic use of money, as well as kinship and membership groups, women are redefining the arrangements that govern their access to land.