We are not actively updating this country profile. If you are seeking more updated country information, please visit the country profiles provided by Land Portal and FAO. Almost all farmland is held and transferred according to the rules and norms of customary law.
Land is viewed as belonging to the lineage of the original inhabitants of an area. A village chief or other notable can allocate use of the land to extended family members or, as often happens in the south, to outsiders. Because customary procedures for the transfer of land are not well defined or consistently applied, their use has led to conflict, especially in the last few decades as population growth, immigration and commercialization of agriculture have increased competition for land.
Because of an extended period of political turmoil from to , and lack of resources devoted to the effort, very little has been done to make the Rural Land Law a reality for most Ivoirians. Coastal wetlands are also rapidly disappearing. Soil degradation, water pollution and loss of biodiversity pose significant threats to future productivity and the wellbeing of rural communities.
The Rural Land Law, adopted in , remains little known and little used. The government would be well advised to reexamine the relationship between customary and statutory land systems and, in consultation with customary groups, decide whether the current statutory system needs adjusting to create a regime that best satisfies the needs of the rural population.
The donor community should promote dialogue involving the government, customary groups and other rural land users to understand what paths may be available for systematically reducing uncertainty and conflict over rural land.
