Dr Henri A.L. Dekker is a Senior Consultant for Land Tenure and Real Property Data Management.

’For decades, land reform consultants visited developing countries to shop around with uniform and rather technical schemes to improve agrarian production by means of private ownership and western registration of title. The string of failures of this recipe shocked the author of this book, himself a life long expert in land title registration. His practical mind and his deep concern for the poor urged him to completely rethink land reform, by taking local variety of tenure, including communal (customary) tenure, as a starting point and by going for flexible approaches. The book shows a happy combination of concern, practical experience and scholarly debate, mixed together to show us how land tenure, law and registration can better meet the great challenge of today, finding news ways to promote food security for the poor.’ A.J. Hoekema, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands ’Dekker provides a comprehensive treatment of one of the most controversial topics in the literature on socioeconomic development-land reform. It is important reading for anyone concerned with issues of equity and economic efficiency in development. Those overly enthusiastic about the promise of land reform will be sobered by the reality of past failures. However, those who see no need to promote broad-based socioeconomic development will find their beliefs challenged. Dekker provides a refreshingly even handed and balanced approach.’ Professor Stanley R. Thompson, Ohio State University, USA ’...the most comprehensive treatise of various aspects of land tenure, land reform and land registration available...the book is written clearly and comprehensively...a welcome addition with a great deal of information on a subject that is very important although many people are unfamiliar with it...it is a fine book and will hopefully be widely distributed and read by many people.’ Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture ’Though its breadth and analysis make it valuable to anyone inte

• Contents: Invisible lines; Land and rights to land; Property; Land tenure; Land reform; Land registration; Specific aspects of land registration; Bibliography; Glossary; Index; Annex A.

Dr Henri A.L. Dekker is a Senior Consultant for Land Tenure and Real Property Data Management.

’For decades, land reform consultants visited developing countries to shop around with uniform and rather technical schemes to improve agrarian production by means of private ownership and western registration of title. The string of failures of this recipe shocked the author of this book, himself a life long expert in land title registration. His practical mind and his deep concern for the poor urged him to completely rethink land reform, by taking local variety of tenure, including communal (customary) tenure, as a starting point and by going for flexible approaches. The book shows a happy combination of concern, practical experience and scholarly debate, mixed together to show us how land tenure, law and registration can better meet the great challenge of today, finding news ways to promote food security for the poor.’ A.J. Hoekema, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands ’Dekker provides a comprehensive treatment of one of the most controversial topics in the literature on socioeconomic development-land reform. It is important reading for anyone concerned with issues of equity and economic efficiency in development. Those overly enthusiastic about the promise of land reform will be sobered by the reality of past failures. However, those who see no need to promote broad-based socioeconomic development will find their beliefs challenged. Dekker provides a refreshingly even handed and balanced approach.’ Professor Stanley R. Thompson, Ohio State University, USA ’...the most comprehensive treatise of various aspects of land tenure, land reform and land registration available...the book is written clearly and comprehensively...a welcome addition with a great deal of information on a subject that is very important although many people are unfamiliar with it...it is a fine book and will hopefully be widely distributed and read by many people.’ Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture ’Though its breadth and analysis make it valuable to anyone inte

• Contents: Invisible lines; Land and rights to land; Property; Land tenure; Land reform; Land registration; Specific aspects of land registration; Bibliography; Glossary; Index; Annex A.

Dr Henri A.L. Dekker is a Senior Consultant for Land Tenure and Real Property Data Management.

’For decades, land reform consultants visited developing countries to shop around with uniform and rather technical schemes to improve agrarian production by means of private ownership and western registration of title. The string of failures of this recipe shocked the author of this book, himself a life long expert in land title registration. His practical mind and his deep concern for the poor urged him to completely rethink land reform, by taking local variety of tenure, including communal (customary) tenure, as a starting point and by going for flexible approaches. The book shows a happy combination of concern, practical experience and scholarly debate, mixed together to show us how land tenure, law and registration can better meet the great challenge of today, finding news ways to promote food security for the poor.’ A.J. Hoekema, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands ’Dekker provides a comprehensive treatment of one of the most controversial topics in the literature on socioeconomic development-land reform. It is important reading for anyone concerned with issues of equity and economic efficiency in development. Those overly enthusiastic about the promise of land reform will be sobered by the reality of past failures. However, those who see no need to promote broad-based socioeconomic development will find their beliefs challenged. Dekker provides a refreshingly even handed and balanced approach.’ Professor Stanley R. Thompson, Ohio State University, USA ’...the most comprehensive treatise of various aspects of land tenure, land reform and land registration available...the book is written clearly and comprehensively...a welcome addition with a great deal of information on a subject that is very important although many people are unfamiliar with it...it is a fine book and will hopefully be widely distributed and read by many people.’ Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture ’Though its breadth and analysis make it valuable to anyone inte

• Contents: Invisible lines; Land and rights to land; Property; Land tenure; Land reform; Land registration; Specific aspects of land registration; Bibliography; Glossary; Index; Annex A.