In recent times, rapidly growing populations across Africa have been shown to lead to
increased land pressures, evolving land institutions, inefficient land use, and increased land
concentration. Further, land sales and rental markets have emerged and there are elite land
captures (see Jayne, Chamberlin, and Heady 2014; Binswanger, Deininger, and Feder 1995;
Chamberlin and Ricker-Gilbert 2016). However, there are concerns that the current trends may
disenfranchise the rural poor, trapping them into poverty.
Given the importance of land as a productive asset for many developing countries, tracking
the evolution of land rights is crucial for ensuring that there is no disenfranchisement of the
poor and vulnerable and for improving the process of land documentation.
This study sought to update the facts on the geography of land institutions in Zambia and
identify the correlates of the intensity of land titling. Specifically, tracking (i) the rate and
extent of conversion of land rights from customary to leasehold tenure and (ii) the extent of
rural land documentation through chief certificates; also, assess the impact of land titling on
crop incomes.