Land Tenure in Rwanda | Land Portal

Resource information

Date of publication: 
October 1981
Resource Language: 
ISBN / Resource ID: 
Rwanda LAND (Research) - 131
Copyright details: 
USAID

In a country with the highest population density of all Africa, and 95% of this population dependent on land, the question of land tenure is inevitably a vital issue. In Rwanda it is becoming even more crucial as marginal lands are cultivated, and competition for land, and thus a livelihood, increases. The currently prevailing land tenure systems in Rwanda vary from one area of the country to another, reflecting both differences in traditional customary laws, and the adoption, at varying degrees in different regions, of written law in place of customary law. This report attempts firstly to briefly trace the major developments in these two sources of law in order to provide a background to the present de jure situation, and secondly, as far as is possible given limited data, to describe some aspects of the current de facto land tenure systems

Authors and Publishers

Author(s), editor(s), contributor(s): 

M. Reintsma

Publisher(s): 

The LAND Project is a five year program supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Its primary goal is strengthening the resilience of Rwandan citizens, communities and institutions and their ability to adapt to land-related economic, environmental and social changes.

Data provider

The LAND Project is a five year program supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Its primary goal is strengthening the resilience of Rwandan citizens, communities and institutions and their ability to adapt to land-related economic, environmental and social changes.

Geographical focus

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