The relationship between secure rights and investment hinges on the assurance that the producers will get a return on their investment or, conversely, that the investment will enable them to secure their rights. Formal tests of the relationship between secure tenure through titling and investment in family farms in sub-Saharan Africa have proved inconclusive. Investments are conditioned by many other factors apart from security of tenure (access to credit, inputs, markets, etc.), and issuing land titles is not the
only way of securing tenure.

Beyond tenure security, studies should address the issue of the relationships between rights, right holders and investments by exploring how the origin of the appropriation may affect investments.

Download the document at the link below. This document is also available in French here.