ABSTRACT
During the last four decades Land Settlement Schemes (LSS) have been a research focus for social scientists of different disciplines, especially for scholars occupied with issues of rural development. A considerable portion of the concerned literature deals with the evaluation of the performance of settlement projects as a strategy for rural development. Historically, LSS were already initiated in colonial times, but their popularity has been retained under independent governments, and they are currently being promoted in a substantial number of developing countries (Maos 1984; Oberai 1986; Hulme 1987). The main objectives of this strategy include improving welfare levels, redistribution of land and population, assisting the poorest and landless sections of the population, and improving farmers performance through an increase in food production. In most cases reviewed, however, LSS performance has not been regarded as a major success (Hulme 1987), a finding which seems to contradict the continuing support given to land settlement initiatives by national administrations and international land agencies.
