Harmonising land privatisation with customary rights : A middle way for land rights formalisation in Zambia

Abstract

Many critics of customary land rights systems call for conversion of customary tenure to leasehold. This policy note argues for a middle way forward. By formalising the collective ownership of customary land in two levels, primary and secondary rights, instead of converting it to exclusively individual leasehold estates, Zambian authorities can enhance the rights of primary claimants, without excluding secondary land rights holders from their livelihood bases.