ABSTRACT
The distribution of rights related to land, trees, and other natural resources considerably influences the introduction of erosion control measures, especially agroforestry systems. In Niger, these rights are shared by different institutions: local communities, the state, development projects, and individual users. In this paper, the impact of this institutional and legal pluralism on the adoption of erosion control measures and the consequences for soil conservation planning are analyzed drawing on a case study in six villages of southwest Niger. A sample of ninety farm households was surveyed by means of standardized questionnaires with household heads, women, and other family members. Field sizes were measured by means of a Global Positioning System (GPS). Evidence from the study suggests that tenure security of certain rural dwellers (especially women, tenants, and transhumant pastoralists) is limited by both customary land rights systems and state legislation. Customary tenure does not allow non-owners to plant trees, which is an important constraint for the introduction of windbreaks and other agroforestry systems. The success of projects promoting these systems depends on the percentage of fields operated by non-owners and the distance of the project region from the village because there is a significant difference between owned and borrowed fields with regard to distance from the compounds. Forest legislation further limits farmers’ tenure rights to trees on their own land, thus reducing their willingness to plant trees on their own.
