Proceedings of the Consultative Workshop on Pastoralists, Land and the State in Eritrea.

May 9 - 11, 1996 , Keren, Eritrea.

Funding:

Pastoralism and Land Tenure Systems in Eritrea - Challenges and Opportunities - An Overview

Researchers: Zeremariam Fre
Zerabruk Tesfemariam

The paper points out that the usual division between lowland and highland proposed to explain pastoral and agricultural systems in Eritrea is misleading. Within the groups that occupy these areas there are cultural and production variables.

The research outlines the different land tenure systems.

The communal land holding or Diesa is found mainly in Central Highland. All land is shared equally by the households in the village. Married men as head of households are given the land whereas women can claim a share only in very particular cases. This system has the merit of being egalitarian but as redistribution occurs periodically there is no icentive for long-term investment.

Private holding known as Risti or Tsilmi was dominant in Seraye before the Derg reform. Households permanently own the land which is passed on to the male descendant. When there are several descendants the land is divided among them.

Finally the Dominalie or state land created by the Italian colonial system where access is based on traditional customs and laws, found in the Lowlands and some selected areas of the Highlands.

The problems faced by Eritrea in the period of post-war reconstruction are many-fold. There is acute shortage of land in the plateau region, displaced pastoralists, refugees who need to be resettled and shortages of water and fodder. In the areas where horticultural crops are being developed this conflicts with pastoralists’ way of life whereas in other areas crop and livestock systems are of mutual benefit.

With pressure from population increase, the traditional land tenure laws can no longer apply. The present government wants to put into place a land tenure system which needs to be entirely rethought while maintaining easy access to land.

Case Study in Mensura District in the Barka Province.

Researcher: Zerabruk Tesfemariam

The author offers an overview of land tenure system during the colonial regime, the changes in pastoral and agro-pastoral way of life and the implications this has for future development policies.

War and drought have forced those who lived purely on livestock to change towards an agro-pastoral way of life. Increase in farming increases the need for farmland.

Between Eritrea getting independence and the time the study was conducted no new allocation of land had yet taken place.

There are different perceptions about the future of pastoralism depending on the respondant’s age. Younger members of the community view a more settled way of life as their future and think that this would provide them with access to healthcare, education and social services. The elders, however still maintain that there can be no life without livestock and want to continue with livestock production. They would like access to veterinary services and would want more wells.

Government plans for the area include the introduction of better livestock management, modern farms and the resettlement of returning refugees. The government has already forged ahead with some new services but, the author urges, people should be involved in the planning at an early stage in order to ensure their support.

Case Study - Hazemo Region of Eritrea

Researcher: Tesfay Haile

This paper analyses the situation in Hazemo which is inhabited by Saho, Tigre and Tigrinya people. As in other regions the standards of living have deteriorated. Pastoralists’ way of life has been altered and includes more agricultural activities than previously.

In the past people of the region shared the levy for taxes equally among themselves and with the predominance of pastoralists among land users surplus was collected thus relieving the rest of the community of some of the tax burden.

People still use traditional methods of conflict resolution as far as possible and believe that legal means is only the last resort.

The new Land Tenure Proclamation which abolishes existing boundaries between villages allowing each individual to access sufficient land means that the region of Hazemo will attract mechanised agricultural activities.

Case Study : Labka District, Sahil Province

Researcher: Wudassie Yohannnes

Livestock husbandry as a major source of livelihood is no longer and prevalent and here as in other regions changes have an incidence on the rest of the population.

Communal management of grazing land is being eroded with the increase of highland peasants in the pastoral areas. Land allocation and management is gradually taken over by individuals or kinship groups.

This area suffers from erosion with the majority of the population concentrated in the highlands. Prolonged war has resulted in very low education levels and an ageing population. Rangeland is collectively owned and farming land is privately owned.

In the 1970s the EPLF began a redistribution of the land according to family size. Some land was given to landless pastoralists and for the first time to women. This, however, gave rise to disputes between those who had newly-allocated land and those who claimed rights dating back to earlier times.

As rangeland is being converted into farmland pastoralists are being deprived of their means of livelihood.

The author suggests that various measures should be adopted. They include: diversifying the economic activities of pastoral areas, livestock and rangeland management to stop the deterioration of natural pastures, introducing irrigated agriculture in the alluvial plains in order to preserve rangeland.

Pastoralism and Land Tenure System in the Horn of Africa: A comparative Overview.

Researcher: Seyoum Gebre Selassie

This paper looks at the history of land ownership in Ethiopia, Eritrea and the Sudan and suggests ways of arresting pastoralists’ marginalisation in the Horn countries.

Retracing the history of the region the author shows that private ownership is a recent development linked to the colonial system of taxation.

In Eritrea livestock is the mainstay of pastoralist economy and contributes to the national economy. But environmental deterioration, demographic pressure and the ravage of war mean that diverse needs must be met in an equitable way.

In the Sudan too, land used to be communally owned but the move to mechanised agriculture has altered the lives of pastoral people. After independence and with the abolition of the Native Administration, land was made available to anyone. This opened the way for entrepreneurs who started the commercialisation of agricutlture and animal husbandry. In the Sudan, as in other countries of the Horn, this rapid modernisation resulted in the displacement of pastoralists in large numbers. All are faced with the same problem of putting into place new development policies which will put an end to this marginalisation of pastoralists.

Possible solutions could be:

- to find alternative land use strategies which promote develpopment in the livestock sector while reducing the vulnerability of pastoralists to demand for land.

- to devise a system of production in the livestock sector which can bring increased returns to producers and the whole of the economy. This should be done by involving the pastoral people in the process.

The author concludes by recommending that this should be supported by policy-oriented research which would increase knowledge of how indigenous systems and problem-solving mechanisms work and to establish an inventory of indigenous technical knowledge which can be applied in devising development plans.

Reflections on Ethiopian Experience: Ogaden Case

Researcher: Yacob Arsano

The paper describes how the tension between groups arising from new land tenure systems affects this region of Ethiopia. As elsewhere, both customary and modern land tenure laws operate side by side. Privatisation of land is seen as a way of survival by many as population increases and land and water resources dwindle. In addition, some pastoralists and returnees are also turning to farming activities adding to the demand for farmland.

This huge area of the country offers both wet season grazing and dry season grazing. Over time the permanent watering points and settlements have become over exploited and the higher areas offer better range potential. These places are foci of conflicts over land grabbing. Traditionally women have not owned property and this applies to livestock. There are indications that they would like to engage in crop cultivation but this is dependent on enough land being available.

Even though land tenure policy is enshrined in the Constitution efforts need to be made to halt the deterioration of pastoralists’ livelihood. Otherwise, conflicts will continue to flare up and will put the peace of the region at risk.

Here too the author suggests that development policies should take into account the various dimensions of the problem.

A Case Study of the Upper Awash Valley

Researcher: Claudia Futterknecht

Until the early 1950’s the Karayu and Afar were dominant land users in the area. With the creaation of irrigation schemes and the settling of the Ittu in the area conditions for the pastoralists deteriorated.

An increase in inter-tribal conflicts and conflictc between population groups and authorities has also risen. In order to restore trust between local and national authorities the author suggests possible ways of solving the problems. She argues that benefit-sharing schemes could improve relations between the Awash Park authorities and people and could improve the living conditions of the communities. It would also help ensure that the park and conservation areas are left undisturbed by local communities. The author stresses the importance of community participation in benefit-sharing programmes.

Experience of Pastoral Land Tenure in Tanzania: No Future Without Land.

Researcher: Charles Lane

Conditions for pasotralists are deteriorating rapidly. The villagisation programme of the 1970’s restricted their movement and meant that they lost their land to agriculture. As a consequence they are finding it difficult to cope and are a very marginalised group.

Pastoral development is still based on misconceptions about inefficient land use by pastoralists. In addition their contribution to the national economy is greatly underestimated.

The question of women’s role and rights in land management is not understood and not taken into account in the development of land policies. Traditional support mechanisms have broken down. Furthermore whereas women used to be in co-operatives this is no longer true .

The author warns that evidence elsewhere in Africa shows that unless pastoralists defend their land not only will they face greater hardship but also they will see the disappearance of their culture and the break up of their communities. It is essential to rethink in the administration of pastoral lands and to put into place policies for the use of rangelands.

Finally the pastoral communities and their representative organisations need to be given support to take up the issue of land rights to their customaary lands. Assistance is the key to the survival of pastoralists.

The Kenyan Experiences

Researcher: Peter Karinge

The question of land tenure in Kenya is a complex one because of the different systems that exist side by side. This state of affairs has contributed in a significant way towards environmental degradation and the depletion of natural resources.

There are three systems of tenure: customary tenure, individual tenure and public tenure. But, the author argues, this multiplicity of systems allows for flexibility building on the strengths of these tenure regimes and eliminating their weaknesses.

Registration of land provides an opportunity for preparing a land tax system as well as a chance to establish a land resource inventory to monitor the nature and quality of land in the different ecological regions. A number of lessons and recommendation are made including:

• private landowners shoould have a reponsibility ot put their land to its best use

• land tax would force speculators to either sell or rent paart of their land to meet thei tax demands thus giving the chance for more productive farmers to work the land.
• taxation revenue could be used for developing infrastructure and extension services. Tenure regimes must take into account the culture and local needs of the inhabitants.

In arid and semi-arid lands emphasis should be to build on the systems which are known to succeed in this environment. All land use legislation needs to be reviewed in order to manage the environment more effectively.

It is acknowledged that the questions of land degradation and property rights are linked. Both common and private property regimes appear to provide viable solutions depending on circumstances and customary and modern aspects of tenure try to exist side by side.

Land tenure and land use policies should aim to devolve control over natural resource to local level to achieve sustainable resource management.

Community institutions must be recognised in legislation of land administration to allow more direct participation.

Legal administrative and institutional reforms are needed to support land reform processes to do away with the contradictions and gaps in land administration.

The Keren workshop report includes minutes of the 3 working groups.