Land tenurial dynamics and participatory forestry management in Bangladesh
Khan, N.A.
Public Administration and Development 18(4): 335-347
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0271-2075 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-162x(1998100)18:4<335::aid-pad21>3.0.co;2-fDocument Number: 531658
It is noted that participatory forestry management, more popularly known as 'social forestry' (SF), has recently acquired great significance in Bangladesh as a strategy for both forest resource management and rural development. However, research on the contextual factors such as social relations, institutional structures, forest policies and land tenurial arrangements which regulate SF's performance in the field has been limited. Land ownership and tenurial arrangement is one crucial factor which has remained virtually unexplored in the context of Bangladesh SF. The paper examines the land use and tenure arrangements in selected SF projects in Bangladesh (in three project areas, Betagi (n=24 households), Pomora (n=40 households), and Chandra (n=13 households), surveyed between February-August 1994). It focuses on the perceptions and choice of the SF farmers regarding land ownership, tenure and use; implications of central land tenurial policy on farm productivity and farmers' motivation; and also on the difference between farmers' land use choice and the assumptions of the SF planners. It shows that land tenure is a complex issue for SF. Although tenurial security is a major motivating force for farmers, providing permanent land ownership alone has little impact on farm productivity or on the growth of collective effort among SF farmers. Farmers need institutional assurance and support (especially from the government) to fully utilize the potential rights and benefits associated with such ownership.