Conflits fonciers et leurs impacts sur les activités agropastorales dans l’arrondissement d’Ebolawa II.

Abstract

“Land conflicts and their impacts on agropastoral activities in the Ebolowa 2nd district", such is the title of this research work which aims to show how land conflicts impact agropastoral activities by relying not only on the state of land conflicts and the typology of these conflicts and their impacts, but also the actors involved in their resolutions as well as the proposal of perspectives for sustainable management of said conflicts impacting the agropastoral activities of this locality. The question at the center of the concern is that of knowing what are the methods of putting land conflicts into practice, and what are the issues in the district studied here. To do this, this work will examine the main hypothesis of this theme which states that “Land conflicts seriously hamper agricultural and pastoral activities in the Ebolowa 2nd district”. To verify this hypothesis, and the specific hypotheses relating to it, we used the systemic method following a hypothetical-deductive approach adapted to our study. This approach will make it possible to compare the initial hypotheses with the reality observed on the ground, to validate or refute them. Although Ebolowa 2 has potential ecosystem assets characterized by a less rugged terrain, green vegetation, the presence of watercourses, a predominantly fertile soil necessary for the practice of agropastoral activities, the populations of Ebolowa 2nd encounter difficulties in their activities. These difficulties are linked to the impacts of land conflicts in particular, on the choice of plots and technical criteria, on the availability of land, on harvests and post-harvest income and on the economic aspect which has its sources in land insecurity, i.e. land fraud (14%), multiple sales (7.82%), attacks on land ownership and destruction of crops (7.33%), disturbances of enjoyment, destruction of terminals, conditioned and unconditioned threats (66%) are the forms of land insecurity most present in Ebolowa 2nd according to the court of first instance; poor governance; and other factors of land conflicts thus causing human and food insecurity and the brake on economic growth. Furthermore, ignorance in mastering land texts and the importance of obtaining and even holding a land title, the neglect of local populations to secure their land, justify the presence of only 2,308 land titles since 2007.In the resolution process of these conflicts, several actors are involved in particular, state actors made up of the authorities of the sub-prefecture of Ebolowa 2nd, MINDCAF, MINADER, MINEPIA, judicial and non-state actors made up of traditional chiefs of the district of Ebolowa 2nd, stakeholders and individuals. Faced with these various problems, the results recorded in the field made it possible to make several proposals calling on state and non-state actors in their role to play in sustainably managing said conflicts and their impact on agropastoral activities in Ebolowa 2nd.