IMPLICATIONS OF NATIONAL LAND LEGISLATION AND CUSTOMARY LAND AND TREETENURE ON THE ADOPTION OF ALLEY FARMING

Increasing population in the forest zone of Cameroon has led to reduct ion of fallow periods and to diminution of per capita cropping land ar ea. Alley farming is a promising technology for the zone; however, its large scale adoption depends on host of factors of which an important one is tree and land tenure. For this reason, a study was conducted i n 1990 to determine implication of national land legislation and custo mary land and tree tenure on the adoption of alley farming in the fore st zone of Cameroon. Despite national laws purposing to regulate land and tree use, ownership rights to land and trees are largely determine d by customary tenure rules. According to the forest zone customs, lan d is passed on from father to son when the father dies. Owners of inhe rited lands have full rights on lands and these rights are rarely revo ked. Women do not own lands but are allowed to crop any piece of their husband's land as long as they stay married. Despite the lack of land ownership, women might still readily adopt alley farming because they are primarily concerned about food crop production and the amount of land to be given to their sons in the future.