Caught in the Clash amid Customs and Market: A Case of the Poor and Marginalized Rural Population’s Access to Land in Zambia

Abstract

The paper is a case study analyzing the effects of the Zambian Lands Act of 1995. The problem area centers on the question as to why the market-based land reform of 1995 in Zambia has not, despite its purpose, improved the access to land for the poor and marginalized rural population. The ability to acquire land titles in Zambia highly depends on (i) access to knowledge, (ii) legal access, (iii) access through social identity, and (iv) access to authority. The findings of this paper reveal a reality in which mostly Zambian elites, chiefs, and foreign investors benefit from the prevalent power structures gaining exclusive control over land. Additionally, problems such as complicated and costly bureaucratic procedures as well as civil status, traditional hierarchies, and corruptive behavior weaken the poor and marginalized rural population’s access to land. The paper concludes that the Zambian market-based land reform in 1995 has not benefited the poor and marginalized rural population’s access to land, but has intensified inequalities.