Customary Land Tenure and Ecological Sustainability in Acholi Land, Northern Uganda

Abstract

The Acholi customary land tenure system is one of the most ecologically sustainable forms of land resource utilization in the arable and semi-arid parts of northern Uganda. It is regulated by a complex regime of rights under the authority of traditional leaders, and informed by traditional ecological knowledge of the environment, to manage the diversity of land utilization by farmers and pastoralist communities. The traditional leaders would exclude pastoralists from open access to land resources to give farmers the opportunity to grow crops and after the harvest period, pastoralists can access the vast open rangeland for grazing cattle. This suggests that regulating land access to different occupational groups can prevent land conflict, ensure maximum land resource utilization and sustain the natural cycle of ecological health for communal benefit through prevention of land conflicts. The chapter uses this example to argue that Hardin’s agenda regarding the universal “tragedy of the commons” is flawed without solid substantive basis.