THE EFFECTS OF LAND REFORM ON A POVERTY REDUCTION

CASE OF RWANDA

A SUPERVISED RESEARCH PROJECT

KDI SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY AND MANAGEMENT IN PARTIAL

FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER

MASTER OF A PUBLIC POLICY

Academic year 2010-2019

 Table of the Contents
Abstract .........................................................................................................................................................................4
CHAPTER ONE: A RESEARCH INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................5
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ...........................................................................................................7
2.1. Definitions and key terminology.............................................................................................................7
2.2. A conceptual issues and historical background ................................................................................8
2.3. Empirical literature ................................................................................................................................... 10
2.4. Land reform in Rwanda ........................................................................................................................... 11
2.5. The effects of land reform on poverty reduction ........................................................................... 12
2.6. A conceptual framework ......................................................................................................................... 13
2.6.1. Land tenure........................................................................................................................................... 13
2.6.2. A land administration ....................................................................................................................... 15
2.6.3. Land management and land use ................................................................................................... 16
CHAPTER THREE: THE EFFECTS OF LAND REFORM .............................................................................. 17
3.1. Overview of post-genocide reform ..................................................................................................... 17
3.2. A successful case of land reform .......................................................................................................... 18
3.2.1. Experiences of land reform in South Korea ............................................................................. 18
3.2.2. Experience of land reform in Kenya ............................................................................................ 19
3.2.3. A case of Rwanda ................................................................................................................................ 20
CHAPTER FOUR: STRATEGIES FOR POVERTY REDUCTION ................................................................. 21
4.1. Land tenure .................................................................................................................................................. 22
4.2. A land administration............................................................................................................................... 24
4.3. Land use and land management .......................................................................................................... 25
4.4. Land reform challenges ........................................................................................................................... 26
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................. 27
5.1. Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................... 27
5.2. Policy recommendations......................................................................................................................... 28
References ................................................................................................................................................................. 29

2
 Abbreviations:

AFD : French development Agency

CPI : Center for Publication Impact

DFID : the Department of International Development leads the UK’ works

FAO : Food Agriculture Organization of the United the Nation

GND : Global Development Network

GoR : Government of Rwanda

KDIS : Korea Development Institute School

KSP : A knowledge sharing a program

MDGs : A millennium development goals

MINAGRI : Rwanda Ministry of agriculture

MINILENA : Rwanda Ministry of Land Natural resources

MOSF : Korea Ministry of strategies and finance

RADA : the Agriculture Development Authority

REMA : Rwanda Environment Management Authority

USAID : the United States Agency for International Development

W.B : the World Bank

3
 Abstract

This study aims to examine the effects of land reform on a poverty reduction in Rwanda. This study

assumes that a land reform is key factor of a poverty reduction; three independent variables; firstly,

land tenure, secondly land administration, lastly, land use and management are estimated for the

effects on land reduction.

The paper is structured into five main chapters include introduction, literature review, effects of land

reform, land reform strategies, recommendations and conclusion. This study uses the data obtained

from different reference materials; administrative records, reports, journals, books and literature of

experienced scholars that have done similar studies in the sector; in order to achieve this objective,

a descriptive method has been used.

This study will contribute to the previous studies in the field of land reform and land policy by

contributing to existing literature on the intensity of the analysis land reform in poverty reduction,

the results of this research will be interest of concern to farming communities, policy makers, land

managers, Government institutions, and non-government organizations to make better quality

investment decisions in field of socio-economic.

In addition, the findings of this study may have a significant bearing on future government policy

and, land will be remaining the basis engine; results suggest that, a land reform had a significant and

positive impact on income growth and accumulation of human and physical capital.

4
 CHAPTER ONE: A RESEARCH INTRODUCTION

The study of Rwanda land reform is a matter of significant current interest for international

policymakers, and land registers; therefore, there is rapidly growing literature on implication land

reform, the Rwanda government sets all process for increasing land security and to have access to

land rights and more useful land management, land tenure, land administration like primary effects

on economic growths and to improve agriculture sector as poverty reduction (World Bank report,

2002). It has been shown that since 1990 the land reform in Rwanda has practiced divergence

between populations in national level. Recently, land reform has been a controversial issue; the

government of Rwanda recognizes the necessary role of the commune and other leaders for a land

administration system (Center for Publication Impact, 2017). It has been argued that the overall

government vision is supporting land reform to increase agriculture productivity and investment in

terms of supporting rural people, leading to greater economic development; however, I intend to

show that the government needs to accomplish their vision practically, and developing tactical policy

roadmap for poverty reduction to include a progression of land tenure regulations. While previous

studies have been conducted diverse consequences of land reform since the 1990s (Department of

International Development leads the UK1’ works, 2014); I focus to examine the recent approaches

introduced by the government of Rwanda to analyze the effects of land reform on poverty reduction;

it has been claimed that the government of Rwanda sees the problems of land use management; my

research is intended an addition to the existing research on the subject of land reform and its

component like land tenure, land administration.

11
DFID “Department of International Development leads the UK’ works”

5
This paper is important because it will attempt to show how production increases on whole fields

and will reduce poverty thus, Rwanda rural development has many barriers affected land in terms of

poverty reduction (CPI, 2017). The principal objective of this study is to provide equitable rights

and security to produce land; and also, the government’s overall set a rural poor primary priority of

increasing economic development and poverty reduction (CPI, 2017). Although some researchers

have examined how land reform plays roles in poverty reduction (Gillingham & Buckle, 2014);

therefore, this paper focuses on the effects of land reform on poverty reduction, on the other hand,

Rwanda government was setting the process to increase land rights, land tenure land administration,

land use, and land management to improve agriculture sectors for the challenges of economic

growths as key factors of poverty reduction, those were the foundation of the national economic;

however, agriculture sector occupies approximately among 90% of rural surfaces (W.B report,

2002).

This paper will contribute to the previous studies to the effects of land reform on poverty reduction

and know proceedings different actions and also implement the target in social development. The

results of this research will be an interest of concern to communities’ farmers, policy makers, land

managers, government institutions, and non-government organizations to make better quality

investment decisions in the field of socio-economic. The purpose of this paper is to affects the key

elements that can influence a process of Rwanda land reform on a poverty reduction; In addition,

the study enclose the findings of a significant bearing on future government policy and, the land will

remain the basic engine about sustainable development of the country. This research will attempt to

answer the following research questions: what is the relationship between (among) poverty reduction

and land reform? What extent land reform has led to reducing poverty? How has land reform reduced

poverty? This paper is divided into three sections. First, the background of introduction, second

literature review and methodology, lastly conclusion and there will be references and abbreviations.
6
 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Definitions and key terminology

It is necessary to clearly define key terminologies referred to in this study. The term “land reform”

has been used in the field of agriculture development. Reference to the usual meaning, land reform

is a municipal strategic that property right transfer over great owned land ownership (Griffin et al.,

2002). Then land reform can remain sensible for changes in the ownership of resources and how a

citizen can be used the land for profitable, generally including a modification from the great

confidentially possessed land to beforehand dispossessed minor measure agriculturalists (the World

Bank, 2012). Land reform is involved with shifting the organized structure leading human

relationships through the land tenure to intervene the customary land tenure, treatment and regulation

(W.B 1975; Macmillan, 2000). Therefore, it is possible more reasonable, consequently, that

conception of restructuring land and land tenure are unlimited for registering or a transfer of

proprietorship rights, and it is as well as incorporate liberty affecting it’s the practice and control.

Additionally, for the profit-oriented for farming, the possessive privileges ought to more to be safe

throughout heading activities for using too small measure farmers for protecting subsidy and loan of

financial institutions and the banks. The land access usually is progressively the future problem of

land in Africa as the outcome, the same time of augmentation of the population and reform

management, the average arguments of land reform and land tenure centers for the important part of

hesitation to the depressing assets on reform of land and land tenure with no lengthy period secure,

the foundation of this alternate standard, nonetheless, I was a problem ecologically and economically

and in social grounds(Deininger et Al., 2014).

The W.B(2012) defined a poverty as the diminishing the percentages of people living in difficult life

by using per day among $1.90 to 3% of the total population, and has the aim to stop excessive
7
poverty in the all world by 2030; based on this evaluation, the poverty rate of the Caribbean and

Latin America are lower than their national country poverty rates, it means the meaning of poverty

by W.B is a comparison between income and consummation, and analysis to use the country income

of the poverty line (W.B group, 2012).

2.2. A conceptual issues and historical background

Poverty is a global problem is also getting worse over time; in a rural community, poverty has not

solved up till now. According to the KDI and MOSF were launching the knowledge sharing a

program (2004) to dispatch and to share the experience of Korea development and to its developing

country partners, the study of social transformation and Economic of Korea offers a single prospect

of superior knowing the effect that pushing development, with a generation, Korea has transformed

itself in terms of agriculture and farming sector society to modern industrial that were not done it

before; moreover, the lessons learned the experience of Korea land reform are as follows: firstly, in

classification to accomplish a successful land reform, the advantaged class resistance about landlords

could be increasing above; Secondly, in order to aim to increase the farmers’ income through raising

agriculture production, land reform must be accomplished by monitoring dealings; thirdly, in order

to maximize all benefit of land reform, education reform should be promoted at the same time; lastly,

Ability of the government to implement the issues of reform both to establish and implement

level(KSP, 2013).

According to W.B (2015) stated that the history of Kenya about land management and land tenure,

the structure of land has particular advantages and disadvantages for a grouping title of land title

within an area of semi-dry; Gorcum (1997) stated that, the land reform problem began since 1950s

below; land property was into the hand of missionaries, and colonialists in right of unequal about

the distribution of land in that time and has remained a feature of Kenya. Additionally, a team farms
8
unsuccessful, mostly for the reason of environmental and sociologically no-maintainable

organization. Developing harmful moods towards the team farm impression powered the definitive

request for a division addicted property land to carry back flexible for different management varieties

in held and in the right of personal or personal producer and put off utilization for the poor by the

rich, land reform was given a positive result in Kenya.

South Africa needed to re-assess its policy about land reform, with the target for promoting the rural

poor by promoting land use; furthermore, the level of country poverty has improved deeply above

five years ago with a supplementary three million people at the present were living in the middle of

poverty; it means about 34 million from 55 million people need the basic essential like food, housing,

heating and proper clothes, transport, health services, education; however, more of the observations

on gloomy figures have emphasized the poor presentation of the urban occupation creation and the

country sees to teach a young job creation thought out a system of education; and thus, there were

small assume that the rural areas have a lack of development and can be rich through land reform;

that is a principle major oversight known that about 35% of the population of South Africa is living

in rural surfaces; they are between the most terrible affected with the increasing poverty levels an

accumulation, more people living in rural areas were affected by the poverty in South Africa;

however, they have a large quantity of land, particularly in ex-homelands; this group were

completely integrated into the country in 1994, and bringing among them wide land below the

traditional leaders(Hutchings, 2017). According to research conducted by the human science

research council (HSRC) argued that levels of poverty can be pushing back accordingly at the same

time, the policies were put in position to focus on food safety and making possible aspects of success

generation values, a poor person in rural areas, and employing people.

9
2.3. Empirical literature

The research conducted by the Human sciences research council (HSRC) argued that the level of

poverty can be also forced back significant, if there was no amelioration of policies continuous

planning basically to the food security and creation new job for young and for success of rural as the

most important to develop all mechanism for food production, employing people and generating

values in South Africa (Hutchings, 2017).

According to research conducted by the Global development network (2009), the results of a land

reform process basically to land tenure rights, land administration and land use were the strong

evidence that the possessor of titled accomplishment, may affect the production of a family with the

significant impact on poverty and family welfare as representing by the expenditure consumption

step, a country set family budget survey, this research examined the primary factor propositions

whether tenure of titled land affected family poverty as representing the utilization expenditure even

as controlling for other family characters; an addition the empirical results of the country level

present the positive proof that titled land ownership relating to the 13 with the higher levels of the

family utilization expenditure; moreover, these results were also comparatively constant in Eastern,

Nyanza, Central and Coast provinces, and the exception of the rift valley, Nairobi, Western, North-

Eastern provinces; simple model indicates the 10% increase in titled land available quantity to

family, and also the family hold expenditure consumption could be converting to the 3,249; Kenyan

Shilling increase in the family hold expenditure consumption (DGN, 2009).

Korea sharing program (2013) stated that, a land reform project was achieved successfully because

of government intervention, and then government was elaborating the laws, regulations, directives,

and appropriate measures to impose the land reform law in a light way; additionally, the government

should be able to work together with a private sector, the judiciary and legislative organization.

10
2.4. Land reform in Rwanda

In this section of land reform development in Rwanda, I will map out the development of land reform

and land use on poverty reduction in Rwanda; and addition, land reform has roots in the 1990s,

Rwanda civil war was stopping the process; according to W.B (2014) points out that the colonization

period and before, a land system was divided into land possession and land consolidation; and then

this system was based on the harmonizing connection between livestock and agrarian; The first

missionary Protestant and Catholic was bought the land property forever for ownership, the period

of colonialism, the government correspondingly started the registration law addicted to the laws of

code in Rwanda, the government also imposed this legal construction for protecting the white in the

period of colonization, interest and other foreigners who were beloved the plot in Rwanda

(MINILENA, 2006). According to this history the poverty remained the same; however, a land is a

primary asset of Rwandan, the government required other step of land reform.

Recently, land reform has been a controversial issue; otherwise, the government of Rwanda has

recognized the very important role of land administration, including land reform and land tenure,

reference to the public law dated on January 23rd, 1963 for the preservation of rights regarding the

registration of land under a normal law of community obligation. Furthermore, necessities of this

decree basically neutralized with a declaration dated on March 1976, with number 09/76 regarding

the buy and auction normal soil right and a land right of income. While previous research conducted

by GoR and al. (2008) have shown that the government endorsed the strategic program calls

“strategic roadmap for land tenure reform” this roadmap now is a structure for using in the program

execution of the countrywide land policy and organic law explained all process for land management

like use of land in Rwanda (Law no 002/008 of 01/4/2008). In the years 2001s, planners and in

charge of policies began to cast doubt on previous policy decisions over land reform will reduce

11
poverty (USAID report.2015); critics like decisions of Rwanda cabinet meeting (2010) began to call

attention to the significant shortcomings of land policy.

2.5. The effects of land reform on poverty reduction

In this paper focus to the effects of land reform on poverty reduction, on the other hand, the

Government need to enlarge the security land management in the term of use production more from

land tenure and right to use and more useful as important elements to improve agriculture sector and

economy whereby poverty reduction. Additionally, the resources of the land are basically a very

important role in the economy of the nation in terms of agriculture which encloses more than 95%

in Rwanda rural areas (W.B report 2002). This is a critical matter of concern because the inequity in

the input of production distribution, specifically to the lands agricultural appears to be the major

reason for poverty in rural areas and also revenue inequality and fighting poverty in rural areas in

Rwanda is also becoming progressively more poverty reduction (W.B report, 2002).

This paper is important because it will attempt to show how production increases on whole fields

and will reduce poverty thus, the government wants to address it, codifies land tenure, land

administration, land use and land management process as a factor of poverty reduction. Land

includes a principle barrier for broad-based development in rural areas in Rwanda. Land reform

managing the protection and reasonable right for producing more by priority, the rural poor for

getting high priority, and the overall goals of the government is reducing poverty and increasing

economic development (CPI, 2017).

The main objective of this paper is the effects of land reform on poverty reduction and process use

to improve poverty; land reform supports equity definitely and their strategies use to contribute safe

admission to land. the Rwandans living in rural poor can significantly augment different revenue

12
like welfare, and other economic revenue by using all the benefit from land reform immediately

poverty reduction and inequality (CPI, 2017).

This research has important implications for Government Institutional owner land reform in

Rwanda. In addition, the findings of this study may have a significant bearing on future government

policy and, the land will remain the basic engine for durable expansion of the country causing the

reduction of poverty. The purpose of this paper is not only focused on land reform in Rwanda.

Instead, this study is primarily focusing on the effects of land reform on poverty reduction; and then

to focus on the consequences of poverty reduction in Rwanda.

2.6. A conceptual framework

To what extent has land reform led to reducing poverty?

Regressive analysis

Land tenure

Land administration Poverty reduction

Land use and

Management
2.6.1. Land tenure.

Currently, land is an essential of living of rural poor people; it is a shelter, it is a primary food origin,

social individuality and revenues; therefore, land tenure as a secure access to reduce vulnerability,

to food shortage, famine and poverty; land tenure is an access, security of right to use, to control,

and transfer, as well as associated responsibilities and restraints and also land tenure systems decide

who can use, what resources for how long, and under what conditions.

13
Land tenure in Rwanda is becoming more tenuous than ever. For the solution, Rwanda establishes

the written law about land tenure, which will be guided by provisions and the land safe, land tenure

as guarantee for the permit land possessors of time-consuming acres of 99years; thus, the lowest

values of land tenure must be one hectare while the highest value must be a fifty hectare of

agriculture production in rural areas; furthermore, a plots of residential could be limit around four

are up to twelve and then about the commerce and business land plots differ to the kind of business

and to the scale of the business and not more than 10ha the target also is poverty reduction;

additionally, land tenure has a different history in Rwanda in different time such pre-colonial,

colonial during independence and after returning of the Rwanda refugees.

Rwanda’s economy is mainly agricultural whereby smallholders faming dominate agricultural

production for supporting this, land tenure can reduce a poverty through land reform channels;

according to the DFID report (2007) state that, the land tenure is a key important factor on poverty

reduction in Rwanda, therefore, land remains a foundation of live hoods and revenue for persons,

financial asset for nations, and an investment asset for several sectors of production, and then, to

have full access of land is completely connected to more rapidly economic development; moreover

land rights tenure, and has an ability to own, to sell land, to buy for provided that greater guarantee

and self-confidence for personals that the land, after the land tenure can be used for durable

investment; while, restrictive land policies, inefficient and insecure tenure, land administration

systems are formidable obstacles to investment and increase(DFID, 2007).

Actually, land in Rwanda is classified as public, marginal; It might offer essential base of live hoods

people poor and use it for traditional agricultural system. Land tenure can be overcoming by a strong

commitment from traditional to developed modern agriculture system. Likewise, the way the

government handles access to the land is a good test of this broader commitment, poverty reduction,

14
respectful rights and good governance (DFID, 2007). Using also the land title is as a guarantee in

another hand can unlock to dead assets and support for poverty reduction, and safe admittance to the

land provides incentives for the community to operate durable; similarly, the people are more likely

to invest in long-term land practices if they have clear user rights and safe beside eviction, a clear

task and rights to property is essential to promise individuals that they will be capable to benefit

from the fruits of any improvements they make on land without fear of expropriation by the others

or the government(Klaus, Federic 2015).

2.6.2. A land administration

Policy of land reform in Rwanda has the importance of poverty reduction and economic growth;

currently land administration is implemented through sets of procedures to manage information on

rights and defense like land rights, land use regulation, and land valuation and taxation. Any change

requires enough time to explain, up to now the Rwandan needs to know more about the land

administration, however the Rwandans have the mindset of traditional land administration system;

this system has no system for acquiring, formal management and traditional distribution information

about land; the cost of land registration and time also is a matter of concern which will need to

reduce; in other hand, in Rwanda, the land administration information system is now equipped in

every part of four zones, offices and 30 Districts in Rwanda, however, the total of 395 of 416 land

managers of the sectors in Rwanda has been appointed to facilitate the service in all country for the

decentralization land services. Moreover, the government develops fast service for mobile phone

application to support land queries and now some significant number of the bank and micro-finance

has electronic query or read to access a land administration information system for using it for

processing land based on a transaction of mortgage and loan process to facilitate the people for

access to bank services, likewise land services comprise as the effect improved (LTR, 2017).

15
According to World Bank doing business index (2018), was ranking Rwanda at 41st for 190

economies; Rwanda has very fast and ranking number two globally on the simplicity of registration

assets; currently all process for land transfer and registration all administrative process takes 7

working days, which is very improvement from 320 before land reform in 2008(W.B, 2018). The

land administration in Rwanda is a key important to consider for the establishment of a land

information center dotted from information central Bank and with information of geographical

system; and then the national land commission, provinces, districts, and sectors carry out a rural land

administration for a will of concerning the powers of local as well as their attributions, will be clearly

by the law (W.B, 2018).

2.6.3. Land management and land use

Land use and management is the method use and management land resources in terms of

development in rural or in urban, land resources must be varied include organic agriculture and

reforestation project; in Rwanda land use and management system is running practically slowly;

therefore, for building the best quality of land use and land management, it is compulsory to think

about the difference among the rural land and urban land, the reason why territory management is

totally different regarding of different things. For a partition, these lands rural and urban it should

be based on the allocation, destination functions of land, the urbanization rate of the country is short

approximately to 12 percent, for around 960.000 inhabitants and nationals is around eight million.

Reference to the statistics among 1978 and 1991 consensus, urban population improve to a year,

approximately 5.5 percent; presently, the augmentation charge is around eight percent of the year.

The mass of urban is a majority in the City of Kigali for today has around 600.00 and continues to

increase the charge of 10.40% per year (Rurangwa, 2002).

The development of the cities of Rwanda appears to be a desirable and predictable phenomenon;
16
particularly, while urban facilitates the integration of surplus farming population; consequently, the

employment establishment center that should be calling to every social category; therefore, the towns

increase allows to easy pressure demographic facilities of land that can accordingly offer most

favorable production; however, urbanization is to be expected and a desire for Rwanda development

economic, progression can be glowing planed for against the slums. According to above about land

use and management, land use and land management in rural areas, are totaling different, but all are

for important of poverty reduction (Rurangwa, 2002).

The global surface of Rwanda area is 2 633 800 ha, used land is 1.40 million has, around 52.0% for

all areas in a total of Rwanda. And then, owing to a heavy density of population, thus high the

resource of land pressure, the real surface cultivates was reaching around 1.60 million hectares in

currently, furthermore, basically to the total land use is approximately 61.1% for all of the country

areas (REMA, 2009).

CHAPTER THREE: THE EFFECTS OF LAND REFORM

3.1. Overview of post-genocide reform

After Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994, the returning refugees and increasing population

were setting more for pushing on the informal land system and also a system of land reform,

Genocide was a physical impact and personal assets as well as the economy of the country, the

government was addressing diverse land tenure claims to steer clear of new complaint, and to codify

17
the method of landowners to facilitate poverty reduction. To take in hand these methods, Rwanda

started new vision for 2020 vision to intend the transformation the status of the country into the

middle-income economy by 2020, in 2009, the government began its landowner regulation, plan,

and registration as a solution of a claim of land heading through legally suitable dealings.

Current experience relating to the land policy reform in post-genocide against Tutsi in 1994 in

Rwanda helps on continuing debates. Agriculture financial statement almost 40% National GDP is

the most 2.50 more than the country location in sub-Sahara (WFP report, 2006). Land property size

is critical factors establish food safety for the Rwandans-majority; for the period of the years 2006-

2007, registration of land plays very important for component the new system of landowner reform,

on the one hand, the phase of confirmation of traditional landowners had accessing officially

permitted to land inheritance. However, the effects of land tenure, land registration, and land

administration depend on the decision of the local authorities that is somehow considered as an

effective cost not only to the criticism. Even settlement dispute knows due to the legitimacy political,

mechanical up-scaling of land management and land registration with modern registration

techniques, and not alleviated deep root issues of land.

3.2. A successful case of land reform

3.2.1. Experiences of land reform in South Korea

Land reform experience in poverty reduction was successful in a different country; reference to the

KSP (2013) modularization of Korea’s development experience, Land reform in Korea is a highly

praised and was fast completed for the entire world. Moreover, land reform distributive at that step

of progressive must be a critical matter of concern means to arrange the primary needs for agriculture

productivities receive during the attractive growth and prospect reduction of poverty; eventually,

despite successful land reform, the increase of farm households through an increasing agricultural

production did not happen. Since the 1960s, the government gradually increased investment in the
18
agricultural sector, establishing the rural development Administration so that farm households’

income began to increase in earnest (KSP, 2013). Finally, if a land reform project is to be

implemented effectively, the government should be able to implement the reform project. Without

the government's efficient intervention, successful land reform cannot be achieved. Instead of

discreet intervention, the government should prepare laws, directives, regulations, and relevant

procedures in order to enforce the land reform law in a fair and transparent way. To this end, the

government should be able to work together with the legislative body, the judiciary, and the private

sector. In this sense, the government's ability to manage the national agenda is crucial to

implementing land reform (KSP, 2013). An addition, for understanding the lessons of Korea land

reform experience the following factors is most important. First, in order to achieve successful land

reform, the resistance of the privileged class on behalf of landlords should be overcome. Second, in

order to aim to increase farm households’ income through increasing agricultural production and

land reform should be accompanied by follow-up measures. Third, in order to take full advantages

of land reform social benefit, education reform should be promoted at the same time. Finally, the

ability of the government is implementing land reforms matters both at establishment and

implementation levels (KSP, 2013).

3.2.2. Experience of land reform in Kenya

According to the African Studies Centers (19970; African’s lessons about a land reform case of

Kenya argued that land is becoming more and more problems in Africa up this moment. Therefore,

the human population continues to grow, most responsibilities are tenure reforms. The law changes

like statutory laws were replaced with customary laws. The tenure reform centers had the principle

arguments in the indecision role for the discouraging investors in the land that is not durable security.

However, a land title is the security tenure that was the most important for increasing productivities

and induces investment together sides of request, as the farmers will become many positive for future
19
investment benefits and the side of supply, the farmers were affording the best admission to the loan.

This paradigm replacement, can be a matter of concern for economic development, socially and

ecologically point of view, for the region of agroecological conditions are restrictive as long as the

local group misses the essential knowledge and formal education in completion among the best

groups with the types of equipment in society, the particularity attention of the history of Kenya

about land tenure reform to the advantages and disadvantages of the group landowners in the semi-

dry land surfaces. As the decision of this case of semi-arid areas, based on land reform was started

since the 1950s, the land was in the hand of colonizers and the missionaries, the inequality

distribution of land had remained in the Kenyan feature. The pastoralists Maasai, particularly has

lost vast amounts of land tenure, after losing their high exploitation land in different areas of Kenya,

they start to produce the poverty reduction by using agricultural group and the large important of

capitalist-farmers continues land individualization detained in the hand of the constitutional group

title. Since the 1960s, communal land owners private title, the base of communal traditional

regulations of the land management were over resources, and then the group ranches unsuccessful,

the reason of the ecological and sociological untenable format, but increasing feeling negatively

towards the grouping ranches’ concept fueled the final invitation for the sub-division under

individual plots for bringing back the suppleness in range management, and held into individual

investors and stay away from exploitation of the poor to be rich (Rutten, 1997).

3.2.3. A case of Rwanda

Centre for public impact (2012) in collaboration of the WB group stated that in Africa, Rwanda is a

very density population, for the 416.0/km2 inhabitant; based on land reform during to the 2004, the

most Rwanda land had acquired an imperfect tenure through diverse use like a land inheritance,

borrowing land, informal occupation land, leasing land, gifting land, and also government land

distribution and allocation; according to this it is very important in economic asset to have a land
20
for living on and farming and agriculture play a very important role in economic activities in Rwanda

and also it is partial special culture and social in culture status in Rwanda; thus 88% for labor might

work to the farm and agriculture land (CPI, 2017). The Rwanda initiative of land reform is also to

complete the registration process in terms of facilitating the land reform process for setting the best

operation and the best system of land management for security, in terms of promoting land

investment, and developing economy as well as reducing the poverty as a goal (CPI, 2017). This is

a government overall vision for supporting land reform has two essential options; firstly, land

consolidation loadings were an inducement for growing agriculture production, loadings also

investments to better economic development and poverty reduction; secondly, after genocide there

were pressing the needs to decrease racial tensions to promote the possible mechanism for land

tenure. Practical, for achieving the vision, Rwanda developed the policy strategic roadmap, to

include land tenure procedures and for all process of registering all land for the first time.

Additionally, for supporting implementation design for the new system administration of land under

2005.

CHAPTER FOUR: STRATEGIES FOR POVERTY REDUCTION

Poverty in Africa has the first and foremost in rural areas, right of entry to the land and safety of te

nure, particularly for the people poor; furthermore, land is the most essential of economic asset in r

ural poor people have; thus, the next discussion will help us to know more about how land reform c

ontribute to the poverty reduction? To what extent has the government land reform led to poverty r

eduction? How has land reform reduced poverty? And then, a relationship between land reform and

poverty reduction?

21
4.1. Land tenure

This section set of rules used to establish all process of landowner, land possession, land sold, land

use, land leverage; and the others process willing of inside communities; however the government c

ould establish the norms and regulation of the rules about the land tenure to facilitate land registrati

on procedures and land rights to owners; thus, for more amelioration the production in rural areas, t

hese rules could (Garvelink, 2012). In addition, to what extent has the government land reform led t

o poverty reduction? According to a coordination done by the French Development Agency, confir

med that, in the 1980s land reform tenure in Africa was a critical issue of poverty reduction caused

by the spatial planning and public policy in rural or urban areas moreover, land tenure is the funda

mental of big more issues; land is a substitute asset for now and the future if you invest on the land

it would help you currently and the will help the future generation and also land tenure reform is a c

ornerstone for a reduction of the poverty (AFD, 2012). And then, land tenure is the feature of produ

ction in an era of agriculture sectors, in the economic development that can help in poverty reductio

n; for this reason, the question (AFD, 2012).

Rural people have confidences for their land tenure

22
(DFID, 2017)

According to the annual review report of land tenure regulations in 2017 shows that there is an

emerging land market for the reason that people have full confidence in the system to save their land

rights; addition, transfers of land have rising up 60% in all districts and growing from 20.564,

in2014,to51.604,in,2016(LTR,2017).

Figure 1

23
4.2. A land administration

Land administration as the progression of disseminating information, determining records about lan

d ownership, use of land and values to execute the management of land policy; therefore, how has l

and reform reduce poverty? FAO (2019) states that the best land administration and its procedures

can be one of the keys to poverty reduction.

Distribution Rights
Processin

Purposes
Land administration Assessment

Process

Data acquisition
Land Inventory

The government in the central term will help and continue to improve land administration and land

tenure safety in regards with making land possessions information available in a middle site,

reducing land registration and transmit time to the personal landowners, computerization and

automation of its land register records, according to FAO (2019) stated that, administration land

system should help in poverty reduction respectful the system of land reform like ownership

guarantee and safety land tenure; hold up property tax system and land also; form of security for the

system recognition; reduce dispute of land; look after lands status; develop rural development and

agriculture problems; facilitate the land reform; the management of land must be basically

considered the environmental issues; and produce statistical data(FAO, 2019). Similarly, Rwanda

national land policy set most important significance on an appropriate land administration scheme

like essential of land tenure security if the opportunity of investment in land, land registration and

transfer (MINLENA, 2002).

24
4.3. Land use and land management

A principal idea about use of land is to asses if land consolidation and the land of improved

agriculture input leads to poverty reduction and increased food among farm households in rural

areas; According to USAID report (2007) in partnership with Rwanda agriculture development

authority and The ministry of agriculture in Rwanda have the responsibilities promoting agriculture,

guiding the rural population, creation of the renovation for raising agriculture production for

improvement life rural poor and help to promote land reform in rural areas; we should need to know

the relationship between land reform and poverty reduction, focusing on this, land is a principal

factor to think about, when there are the best land management, the government set diversity policies,

regulations, laws and recognized frameworks for reasonable about land rights and productive, strong

planning of land use, land management, proficient and unfettered transaction, specifically land and

the other assets which will help to promote investment and making attention to land use and land

mismanagement for economic growth, that will affect for poverty reduction (USAID, 2007).

Table 1(Land cover in Rwanda)

Type of land cover Area (ha) % of total

Land used under agriculture potential 1 612 068.0 61%

Wetlands 278 536.0 10%

Forest 240 736.0 10%

Water body (lakes and rivers) 176 050.0 6%

Protected areas(parks) 226 400.0 8%

Towns and high ways 100 000.0 5%

Total 2,633,800 100%

25
4.4. Land reform challenges

This challenge of Rwanda land reform is very important and also government improved safety land

right, land tenure, land management and more effective significant aspects for a rising, economic

sector, agriculture sector to support the producer depending to the sources required for the poverty

reduction; and conclude that land tenure, land administration, and land use and management are key

factors to analyze for land reform in poverty reduction.

26
 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1. Conclusion

The purpose of this research paper has been highlight the role of land reform on poverty reduction

in Rwanda; to accomplish this; in particular, land is the most important resource of live hoods for

the mass of Rwandans, employing among 70% of the population directly in agriculture; therefore,

land reform composed by management of land, land tenure, administration and land use as the

essential consideration in poverty reduction.

This paper has established that, land reform is a most important on poverty reduction; the land reform

will continue to be the engine of the development of the country when land remains the primary

basis of sustainable development and will play very important role of poverty reduction and its

contribution to the gross domestic production, this paper has also accomplished the three main

factors that will promote to achieve economic growth for helping rural areas in poverty reduction;

firstly, land tenure is conditional or absolute rights to occupy, to use, to transfer, to rent through

inheritance, to use as collateral for a loan, sale, gift, mortgage and help the owners to be safe by

using their land assets; secondly, a land administration is very important in poverty reduction while

there are facilities in a land administration process, land acquisition through a customer and written

regulation or law; as the authorities guarantee for purchasing or donation of land, succession,

inheritance, and exchange sharing which will help to achieve these land systems, the government

should be help the land owners to achieve their targets; Lastly, the land use management and land

tenure are increasing productivities and commercialization in agriculture sector and then focusing

on numerous priorities, together with consolidation of land use and management; fertilizer and seed

sharing, moreover sector of agriculture transformation needs a specific strategic plan to achieve these

requirements and are also, being implementing, and these have contributed to increasing production

27
through land reform.

This paper has taken a more nuanced approach to the effects of land reform on poverty reduction in

Rwanda; previous studies have tended to either neglect analysis of land reform in poverty reduction

or consider it alongside; the details analysis carried out in this paper has furthered our considerate

land reform complex issue of poverty reduction. This understanding will provide a basis for the

formulation and implementing land reform effective policy of reducing poverty; particularly, I have

provided a new structure intended for understanding the effects of land reform on poverty reduction;

this paper has found that the government of Rwanda improves agriculture sector particularly land

reform, which can improve to create the income needs on poverty reduction; as studies from other

countries show, land reform is an essential element on poverty reduction (WB, 2007).

5.2. Policy recommendations

This paper has attempted to sketch out plan that shall make greater effects of land reform on poverty

reduction in Rwanda, the below listed points are possible way forward as my contribution to solving

the poverty issues.

• Setting the mechanisms which will help the land safe, land tenure and land management to
promote the investment;

• Making attention to the establishment of appropriate land use and land allocation;

• Avoiding land fragmentation and promotion land consolidation as well as to improve the most
favorable production;

• Set up the mechanisms to facilitate the most favorable land utilization by the target of economic
and social development;

• Land management orientation towards further profits and strong productive, to make a high-
quality choice between methods of land development;
28
• Increasing the suitable methods of land safety and conservation for avoiding land degradation;

• Set up the mechanism for research promotion as long as education for all aspects regarding the
land tenure, land market and land management;

• Engagement people as responsive to know, and to make certain environmental protection for the
best environmental management as well as land management.

The findings of this suggest that previous government policies have ignored the implementation of

land reform policies. Given this, researchers and policy-makers ought to think about the effects of

land reform on poverty reduction. Better policies to address this serious issue and create a more

aspect should be developed on this basis.

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