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Protecting Smallholder Land Rights in Mozambique, 1997–2017: Unfinished Business?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2020

Michael Madison Walker Open the ORCID record for Michael Madison Walker [Opens in a new window]
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Abstract

Mozambique’s land law is notable for its intent to balance the recognition and protection of smallholder land use rights with attracting foreign and domestic investment to rural areas. However, the state’s legitimacy may be undermined through the process of recognition, as state actors and local elites circumvent the law for private gain. Walker focuses on two areas where the law has failed to protect smallholder rights: issues of women’s land rights, and the expansion of protected areas. These issues speak to the problem of recognition, revealing ways the state produces authority, but not necessarily legitimacy, in rural settings.

Résumé

Résumé

La loi foncière du Mozambique est remarquable par son intention d'équilibrer la reconnaissance et la protection des droits d'utilisation des terres des petits exploitants et d'attirer les investissements étrangers et nationaux dans les zones rurales. Cependant, la légitimité de l'État peut être compromise par le processus de reconnaissance, car les acteurs étatiques et les élites locales contournent la loi pour des gains privés. Walker se concentre sur deux domaines dans lesquels la loi n'a pas réussi à protéger les droits des petits exploitants: les questions des droits fonciers des femmes et l'expansion des zones protégées. Ces questions évoquent le problème de la reconnaissance, révélant les façons dont l'État produit l'autorité, mais pas nécessairement la légitimité, dans les milieux ruraux.

Resumo

Resumo

A lei de terra moçambicana destaca-se pela preocupação em equilibrar o reconhecimento e a proteção dos direitos de uso dos pequenos agricultores com a atração de investimento interno e externo nos territórios rurais. Contudo, esse processo de reconhecimento pode prejudicar a legitimidade do Estado, uma vez que os agentes estatais e as elites locais contornam a lei para benefício próprio. Walker centra a sua análise em dois domínios nos quais e legislação foi incapaz de proteger os direitos dos pequenos proprietários: nas questões relacionadas com os direitos das mulheres sobre a terra e na expansão das áreas protegidas. Estas questões relacionam-se com o problema do reconhecimento e põem a descoberto mecanismos através dos quais o Estado produz autoridade, mas não necessariamente legitimidade, nos territórios rurais.

Keywords

Mozambiqueland lawsauthoritythe state
Type
Article
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 64 , Issue 2 , June 2021 , pp. 315 - 338
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the African Studies Association

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