ABSTRACT
The cardinal feature of African customary tenure, before its gradual breakdown under the impact of population pressure and colonial policies, was its consonance with traditional land use systems, which in turn were well adapted to ecological limitations. Diverse customary tenures reflect diverse economic activity, settlement patterns, social and political organisation. The paysannat system permits the introduction of cash crops and of mechanisation, seed control, central processing and extension services without disturbing the basic traditional, customary framework. The strengths and weaknesses of customary tenure should be recognised. Some writers consider customary tenures unequivocably bad, doomed to disappear sooner or later. Land policy in Africa is torn between the desire to preserve traditional tenure and the impulse to modernisation—which usually means westernisation and individualisation of tenure. Few countries have opted wholeheartedly for individual tenure in land reform policy. Realising the dangers in private land ownership, many have experimented with alternative tenure structures.
