Tenure Issues in Rural Development Planning: A Case Study from Central Sulawesi.
1993. Guelph: School of Rural Development and Planning. 41 pp.
Abstract
The paper provides background information on access to natural resources in the TTM Sustainable Development Site. The area is the homeland of the Lauje people, who live and farm predominantly in the hills since the coastal plain is very narrow. Part One discusses the traditional system of access to agricultural land, which is subject to strong individual rights. Other natural resources such as fuelwood, rattan and bamboo are collected from reserve areas which are managed by the local neighbourhood group. A transition in resource use and access is taking place in response to population pressure and the opportunity to intensify agriculture through planting commercial tree crops. Rights to land are becoming even more strongly individualized, and borrowing land from kin and neighbours for food production is becoming more difficult. People with few inherited land resources and women could be adversely affected by these changes. Part Two discusses the impact of government programs such as commercial tree planting, agroforestry, garden development schemes, new roads and property taxation on the tenure situation. The views of local officials towards traditional tenure rights are described. It is argued that government initiatives entail risks as well as benefits for the traditional land users. Part Three provides initial recommendations of alternative legal frameworks which could increase the tenure security of the traditional land users while encouraging sustainable economic development. It also discusses practical approaches to incorporating tenure concerns in the design of agroforestry, garden development and road projects. Addressing tenure issues in project design maximizes the potential benefits to the local population, and minimizes the risk that they will be displaced from land and resources upon which they depend.