What Is the Nature of Women’s Tenure Security in Sub-Saharan Africa Rural Land Markets? Some Evidence from Nigeria

Abstract

As parts of rural transformation and consequent evolution of land tenure in sub-Saharan Africa, land markets now provide another channel through which women access land. Little remains known about women’s experiences in the markets however, and on the nature of their tenure security in particular. This article provides one of the first empirical examinations of women’s tenure security on market-accessed plots. I do this by analysing tenure security variations across both market and non-market tenure arrangements among a group of Nigerian women farmers. From seemingly unrelated regressions, I find tenure insecurity to be more likely if a woman is cultivating rented plots, less likely if she is cultivating purchased or husband-allocated plots while irrelevant if she is cultivating family-allocated plots. These results highlight the need for greater research and policy interest in rural land markets, and in improving women’s tenancy contracts in rental markets.