Discuss briefly the essential features of the following (a) communal land tenure (b) individual land tenure and their effects on Agriculture
Explanation
The essential features of Communal Land Tenure are: (i) The land is owned by the community.
(ii) Land is allocated ( to members by the head of the family or the community.
(iii) Every member of the community is opportuned to farnt each season to grow annual or biannual crops.
(iv) The system relies on plenty of land for fallow.
The effects of communal land tenure on agriculture include the following:
(i) the land cannot be used as a collateral or security in a procuring agricultural loan for development by members of the community.
(ii) mechanization is difficult to introduce because the farm lands are scattered and small.
(iii) Permanent crops like cocoa and rubber cannot be planted because of possible re-allocation of land in another season.
(iv) discourages permanent land improvement, such as building of structures and alley farming.
(v) leads to fragmentation of land into small and scattered units. (vi) CO operative efforts of farmers are discouraged, thereby, leading to the retardation of the adoption of modern agricultural tehcniques.
(b) The essential features of individual land tenure are: Obtained either as Freehold Ownership or Rent Tenancy Features of Freehold ownership
(i) It gives owner complete freedom on the land
(ii) He may sell it or leave it fallow: It may also farm the land or rent it out.
(iii) It can be used as collateral for agriculture loans.
Features of rent tenancy: (i) partial freedom on land. (ii) cannot be used as security for agricultural loans. (iii) moderate land improvement can be effected on the land. (iv) mechanisation can be introduced if the size of the land is large enough
Effects of free hold ownership on agriculture include: (i) often leads to land improvement (ii) mechanical agriculture can be profitably introduced. (iii) land may be fragmented among children of a freeholder.
Rent Tenancy - Effects on Agriculture include: (i) land can be put to uses other than agricultural production.