Bibliography: pages 77-83. / This thesis describes some of the communal land tenure systems pertaining to Namibia. Understandably, lands held under communal land tenure have tended to be neither fully documented nor legally and explicitly formalised; communal land tenure systems have been through the mercy of arbitrary action by the state, private individuals or other institutions (S.A Government, 1996: 43). The study attempts to examine the issues involved in the design of a communal land tenure information system for Namibia. It therefore seeks to examine the possibility of using information technology to plan and manage customarily held land, the requirement for an effective design and implementation of such a system and the method of designing such an information system to make room for continual improvement and the addition of finer detail. The research begins with an in-depth literature review of the communal land tenure systems in Namibia and a description of similar information systems. This is followed by the research methodology, which describes the technique used for collecting, analysing and presenting the results of the study. The needs analysis and the data structure contained in the atlas are outlined. The fundamental concepts of database design and the various steps taken by the author to design and construct the land tenure database model for the dissertation are also discussed. The pilot project is analysed, taking into account the capability of the system, its success in terms of a needs analysis, and the adequacy of the data. It specifically analyses the design in the light of social relationships, person or group interests and the spatial component of communal land tenure systems with respect to each area. In addition, it seeks to answer the question whether the tool fits the communal land tenure system, discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the overall system design and the implementation strategies. It is envisaged that, with the provision of the information system in union with its database, this will help to identify and document a communal land tenure system. For the rural dweller or farmer, this system will provide a pictorial image of what is really happening on the ground. The information system could later be upgraded and fully implemented, enabling individuals to effectively plan activities around the existing circumstances and conditions. The recommendation that came out from the study was that given the limited information available on communal land tenure systems, more effort should be spent to study and gather data on the system. It is strongly recommended, therefore, that research into conditions in the communal areas be regarded as a top pri01ity by the Government of Namibia. This could lead to a richer information base in the communal areas to be utilised to improve the lifestyle of the rural communities. Thus, the prototype project designed in this thesis should be implemented fully and later developed and incorporated into an information system which, in the past, has lacked communal land tenure input. The research could not touch on all the communal land tenure areas in Namibia. It is therefore advised that the rest should be investigated in more detail. The inheritance and conflict resolution mechanism which were not modelled effectively should also be reinvestigated.

Livestock farmers on communal land rely heavily on state veterinary services (SVS) for animal health care. State provided primary health care services are however, not readily accessible to many such communities. The study was conducted to investigate the primary animal health care (PAHC) delivery methods that are preferred by communal land-based livestock farmers, with special focus on the possibility of using community-based animal health workers (CAHW). The study was conducted in Mnisi community in Bushbuckridge local municipality of Mpumalanga Province. Questionnaire-based interviews were conducted with 133 cattle farmers from 10 of the 15 inspection points in Mnisi community. After analysis of the data from the questionnaire surveys, group discussions were held at five inspection points to obtain clarity on the community’s needs and expectations for the delivery of PAHC services. Data was captured and analysed in Microsoft Excel using descriptive statistics. Responses from the group discussions and other interviews were captured and reported on. The respondents were predominately male (72 % of all respondents), owners of the livestock (80%) and had an average of 13 cattle each. The major reasons given for the exit of cattle from the herds were sales (38% of exits), drought (18.2%), stock theft (15.6%) and diseases (14.8%). Overall 55.1% of exits were losses while 43.7% were for beneficial purposes (1.2% of the exits from the cattle herds were not explained). The farmers perceived nutritional problems, animal diseases, access to water, stock theft, drought and ticks/dipping the six important constraints to livestock production. Amongst diseases and disease conditions, tick burdens, lumpy skin disease and internal parasites were considered the major challenges. Most farmers (77%) did not vaccinate their cattle. The main reason that was given for not vaccinating cattle was that vaccines were provided free by the SVS. None of the farmers felt that the vaccines were not available, not effective or too cumbersome to apply. Despite the free vaccines, 67% did not know if their cattle were ever vaccinated and or what diseases the administered vaccines prevented. All farmers controlled ectoparasite infestation either by plunge dipping (90.2%) or use of pour-on acaricides (9.8%). Furthermore, 78% of those who dipped their cattle also used other methods to control ectoparasites, popularly, whole body and/or spot spraying as and when it was necessary. Endoparasites were controlled by 59.4% of the respondents, predominately by drenching as and when it was necessary. The alternative products for ectoparasites and endoparasites were obtained mainly from the farmers’ cooperative in Hoedspruit. For 99% of the respondents the primary providers for animal health care in Mnisi were SVS professionals (predominately Animal Health Technicians, AHTs). Other community members were consulted by 30% of the respondents. The common routes of contact were visiting the SVS offices, contact at the inspection points and calling the officials with a cell phone. Two-thirds of the farmers reported diseases to SVS and most of them (94%) were happy with the response to the reports. In general the farmers were satisfied with the accessibility of the AHTs (72%), state veterinarians (95%) and the animal clinic staff (77%). They were also satisfied with the information that they received from SVS. The most preferred providers of animal health care were the AHTs (77%). When prompted, 92% of the respondents said they would use the services of a community-based person trained to handle animal health problems, mainly for advice on disease management, drug administration, disease surveillance, diagnosis and castration. During the group discussions, facilitating access to fodder and water were included in the tasks for the community-based persons. Forty-two percent of the respondents said that they would use such a person frequently and 83% were willing to pay for the services in cash and/or kind. The general impression was that young people should be trained to carry out these tasks. Farmers preferred that the community-based person should work closely with the AHTs and be in contact with the farmers as frequently as 2–3 times a week to monthly. It is concluded that farmers of Mnisi community were satisfied with the availability and accessibility of the PAHC services provided by the SVS, and in fact preferred the SVS for this service. The farmers however lacked the knowledge and ability to adequately handle the production, animal health and livestock security problems with which they were confronted. A community-based service would therefore be beneficial if it holistically addressed the critical challenges of access to fodder and water, control of diseases and ticks, ensured livestock security, and also equipped farmers to manage these challenges. It is therefore recommended that Community-based Livestock Workers could be engaged if they are adequately qualified to fulfil this role. The use of Farmer Field Schools facilitated either by AHTs or CLWs for capacitation of the farmers should be investigated. The cost implications, potential benefits and effectiveness of selected options should be explored further before conclusive decisions are taken. It is further recommended that some effort should be invested in stimulating community cohesion amongst farmers to enable them to collectively address challenges that are common to them. The needs for the delivery of PAHC services in Mnisi community illustrate that such services should be tailor-made for the intended beneficiary communities, taking into consideration the existing support structures, the communities’ socio-cultural issues, cost effectiveness and the possible impact of the services. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Veterinary Tropical Diseases / unrestricted

This paper examines the possibility of extending biodiversity conservation onto the communal lands of the Dwesa-Cwebe area in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, by investigating the natural resource based factors, the community based factors and the external institutions based factors that have contributed to the perceived success in the on-going biodiversity conservation programme in the Nqabara Administrative Area using the qualitative approach to scientific investigation. To accomplish this, this study developed a conceptual framework to unravel the complex community conservation initiative in the Nqabara Administrative Area to gain a good understanding of the factors that have enhanced its successful implementation. The field work lasted the period July, 2009 and March, 2010. The interview sample composed of thirty participants, with sex ratio of 18 males to 12 females. The number of villages under the umbrella name Nqabara Administrative Area is ten, and each village was represented by three people which made our sample’s spatial allocation even. A focus group discussion was adopted as the data collection method; and the underlying factors that have contributed to the success of the conservation initiative were subsequently identified. Appropriate coding was assigned to each distinct and major factor for proper presentation of the results, and observations were appropriately provided to buffer the explanation of the results. The main findings of the study indicate that for success: (a) there is a major need for any community that desires to participate in biodiversity conservation to possess important biodiversity species on their lands, understand the basic principles and demands of engaging in conservation, and have alternative sources of livelihood to reliance on these important biodiversity; (b) it is important to seek for assistance from reliable and relevant external institutions in the form of finance, community training, coordination, regular evaluation, and adequate representation in the decision-making processes at the government level and (c) it is important to have a common interest and goal by a community on the issue of adopting biodiversity conservative initiative, and to what extent it is to be adopted; and reliable members should be appointed as their Trust Board members who will be charged to direct the affairs of the conservation initiative on behalf of the general community and represent their best interest with the government and other concerned external institutions. Based on the foregoing, this study recommends that the Dwesa-Cwebe area should adequately consider and ensure the above-mentioned factors are in place to achieve successful community biodiversity conservation. / Dissertation (MInstAgrar)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

With the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994, the newly elected ANC government embarked on an ambitious program of land reform. The land reform programme in South Africa rests on 3 pillars: <ul> <li> Land redistribution</li> <li> Land restitution</li> <li> Land tenure reform</li> </ul> Land tenure reform is at the core of this case study and of the 3 pillars, has faced the most challenges during implementation. The renovation of public policy in general, and particularly in land policy, appears in numerous cases to be a priority on national agendas to relieve the numerous challenges rural Africans face: land conflicts, land insecurity, important demographic pressures and weight, high prevalence of poverty in rural areas, to identify just a few of these challenges. By analysing the development process of the Communal Land Rights Act of 2004 (CLaRA), this case study sought to understand the renovation of public land policy in South Africa. Review of literature on land tenure reform yielded a dichotomy of views with one side favouring freehold title for landless communities whilst on the other hand, there are proponents of a hybrid tenure system that recognizes the functioning aspects of traditional communal tenure. Those favouring freehold title pointed to the fact that this would increase investments on the land and access of the landowners to capital through formal financial markets. Those who would not be in a position to work the land would be able to sell it and invest the money elsewhere. Contrastingly, communal tenure was seen to have benefits for the wider community and for holders of secondary land rights such as women and children who could be excluded under freehold tenure arrangements. The notion that cash poor landless people could sell the land also raises political issues which might be politically detrimental to the government of the day. The research was primarily qualitative, interviewing a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the CLaRA development process. Stakeholders included government officials, traditional leadership, communities, legal advisors, land based NGOs, civil society, academia, research institutions, parliamentarians and politicians. The objective of this research was to determine the extent of participation by various stakeholders at the national level in policy development, with CLaRA as a case study. This was done through analyzing the various positions taken by different stakeholders and the extent to which these were included or the extent to which these influenced the content of the final Act. The outcome of the analysis indicates that to a greater extent, participatory processes seemed to have taken place during the development of the CLaRA, including numerous submissions by various groups to parliamentary portfolio committees, but the final content of the Act reflected predominantly the views of government and not other affected stakeholders. This led to the immediate challenge of the legislation in court by some communities and civil society leading to the eventual nullification of the legislation by the constitutional court. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc(Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

There are challenges to be addressed if South Africa is to reach its full potential in exploiting wind energy resources. One of such challenges is communal land ownership, which is used for the development of wind energy in rural areas. Often, communal lands have no formal land structures, ownership or title deeds to support the individuals and communities that claim possession thereof. This challenge of communal land ownership and the associated risks impact upon investments by independent power producers in wind energy infrastructure. Land in South Africa remains a highly sensitive issue given the historical injustice of land dispossession which became the source of poverty and inequality. Moreover, transitioning to renewable energy sources would add more pressure on land scarcity. Commercial wind energy projects are capital intensive, with high annual turnovers. Achieving financial close is a risk mitigation strategy that confirms that early-stage contractual agreements have been reached in the development stage of a wind project lifecycle. Therefore, risk identification and allocation are fundamental to ensuring that the structuring and contractual obligations of non-recourse project financing are met. Wind energy plants require significant stretches of land, and this is progressing at an industrial scale and often, onshore wind energy projects are located in rural areas, thereby impacting local communities. Land ownership rights are a key element for communities, in which renewable energy development takes place. Households living on communal land, of which the right to use land is vested in individual households, are situated on such lands. This study uses the theory of risk management to investigate pre-financial close risks in developing wind energy associated with communal land ownership rights and the extent to which those risks inhibit wind energy projects from reaching financial close in South Africa. An exploratory research design was applied, while a questionnaire survey was used to collect data from wind developers. The study identified the pre-financial close risks associated with communal land to be technical, legal, economic, social and political risks. Indeed, there is a lack of clear, long-term policy framework to support investments in clean energy infrastructure. This causes significant delays to wind energy project development and it negatively affects financial close. In addition, there are competing interests among multiple stakeholders, leading to the burdensome processes involved in securing leasehold agreements on communal land. As a result, projects which were initially proposed on communal land, have not always reach financial close as planned while others were stopped. The results show that risk mitigation tools could include effective and continuous stakeholder management which is critical to reaching financial close. Furthermore, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform has not established a streamlined process that developers can follow to secure communal land leasehold rights, given that the process is time-consuming.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / A major and unresolved challenge facing South Africa’s post-apartheid government, is how best to overcome the historical injustices of land dispossession and the resultant poverty now found in the communal areas of the former 'homelands'. In line with the South African government’s hybrid of neo-liberal and social welfare approaches to development, one important strategy for addressing these challenges has so far been the promotion of inclusive business models such as joint ventures (JVs), especially in the context of land restitution claims, but also in communal areas. This study explores the impacts of the JV model on livelihoods and land rights and use, and engages with key debates regarding the dynamics of class formation in the former 'homelands' of South Africa. The study undertakes a comparative analysis of two Joint Venture (JV) dairy farms, involving the same agribusiness partner, Amadlelo Agri. The farms are located on irrigation schemes in the former Ciskei of South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. The JVs involve residents from the rural settlements of Keiskammahoek and Shiloh, as both landowners and workers. The comparative case study presented here illustrates quite divergent outcomes when the same JV model is implemented in different rural settlements, most powerfully because of differences in the class structure of each settlement. Class analysis helps to explain the more intense intragroup conflicts that have emerged around the JV in Shiloh. Intragroup dynamics and conflicts, which have historical roots extending beyond the implementation of the JV intervention, are also critical to understanding divergent outcomes. A class-analytic approach assists in understanding the tensions that the JV model of capitalist farming generates in relation to household reproduction, in a class-differentiated manner. The sole focus in much of the literature on agricultural investments has been on relationships between agribusiness, and what are too often portrayed as homogenous 'communities’. However, this thesis illustrates that this approach is misleading when applied to analysis of the real politics on the ground. Struggles over jobs, dividends and land take place within highly differentiated communities. Investigating the inter- and intra-household distribution of JV benefits and risks is central to understanding the impacts of the JV on livelihoods and incomes, and also the emerging contentions and conflicts. To this end, I explore how class interacts with other aspects of social difference, particularly gender, kinship, ethnicity, race, generation and religious affiliation. A class-analytic approach is significant because it illuminates the emerging agrarian class structure that a JV-type intervention both reflects and in turn conditions, in dialectical fashion. It thus allows exploration of the implications of the JV model for wider processes of agrarian change in South Africa. Although there is evidence of livelihood benefits being derived by some households, as well as limited opportunities for accumulation, the JV model does not appear to stimulate the emergence of a class of productive black farmers. Significantly, the study could not identify any households as 'middle farmers', reliant on 'accumulation from below', which many authors consider to be a more progressive, dynamic and desirable pathway of agrarian reform. The JV model is at risk of equating ‘black emerging farmers’ with a group of customary landowners, who are in reality workers and 'passive recipients' of JV dividends and land rents.

A prática de terras de uso comum desde tempos imemoriais, nas suas mais diversas formas, foi ou ainda é praticada em diversas partes do mundo, como na França (Vaine Pâtre, Biens Communaux), Itália (Della Comurione, Le Terre Del Compascuo), Angola, Colômbia, Portugal (Baldios), Espanha (Baldios e Montes Veciñais en Mam Común), Alemanha, Inglaterra, Ucrânia, Polônia, Brasil, entre outros países. No Brasil, as terras de uso comum e seus recursos naturais são apropriados por uma fração do campesinato. O uso dessas terras envolve elementos de identidade, indissociáveis do território ocupado, e regras de apropriação, que se expressam em diversas formas e denominações, como \'Terras de Preto\', \'Terras de Santo\', \'Terras dos Índios\', \'Terras de Herança\', \'Terras Soltas\', \'Fundo de Pasto\' e \'Faxinais\'. Entendendo que até o presente momento, existe uma lacuna na Geografia Agrária Brasileira quanto à elaboração de uma pesquisa que aprofunde a análise sobre o campesinato, pautei como objetivo central desse trabalho a interpretação da trajetória histórica dessa fração do campesinato e seu território. Para isso, compreendo abstratamente que o campesinato, por meio de lutas, constitui-se como uma classe social, para si, e que, como sujeitos políticos, para se sustentarem no modo capitalista de produção, travam uma luta de classe. Para compreender o uso das terras de uso comum e de seus recursos naturais por essa fração do campesinato brasileiro e, mais especificamente, paranaense, fez-se necessário resgatar como se davam essas práticas na Espanha e Portugal, assim como suas diversas formas e respectivas variantes de posse e propriedade da terra no Brasil. Considerando-se que a gênese dos faxinais do Paraná se deu por meio de uma aliança, construída nas grandes fazendas dos Campos Gerais do Paraná entre uma parcela de índios escravos e negros africanos escravos fugidos, a qual se concretizou nas matas mistas de Araucárias e se consolidou com a contribuição de uma fração de camponeses poloneses e de imigrantes ucranianos, que conseguiram escapar do genocídio da Guerra do Contestado. Na contemporaneidade, a formação social do faxinal tem diversas definições, tanto do ponto de vista de pesquisadores do Estado, quanto dos camponeses faxinalenses, que englobam seu tripé de sustentação: terras de uso comum no criadouro comum ou comunitário, cercas das terras de uso comum do criadouro comum ou comunitário e terras agrícolas ou terras de planta. As práticas sociais comuns e religiosas são o que consolidam o modo de vida dos camponeses faxinalenses, mesmo enfrentando conflitos sociais e ambientais. Os resultados dessa pesquisa confirmam a luta e a resistência dos camponeses faxinalenses para se manterem enquanto classe para si e a certeza da manutenção da formação social do faxinal ou da sua expansão por meio da reconquista de espaços da fração do território comunitário camponês faxinalense expropriado pelo desenvolvimento do modo capitalista de produção no campo paranaense. / The practice of shared lands since immemorial times, in its more diverse forms, was or still it is practiced in diverse places of the world, as in France Vaine Pâtre, Biens Communaux , Italy Della Comurione, Le Terre Del Compascuo , Angola, Colombia and Portugal Baldios ; Spain Baldios e Montes Veciñais en Man Común ; Germany, England, the Ukraine, Poland and Brazil, among others countries. In the Brazil, the shared lands and its natural resources are appropriate for a fraction of the peasantry. The use of these lands is followed of indispensable elements of identity of the busy territory and the rules of appropriation, that express themselves in diverse forms and denominations, as Lands of Black color, Lands of Saint, Lands of the Indians, Lands of Inheritance, Untied Lands, deep of grassland and communal lands. We understand that, until the moment, theres a gap in the Brazilian Agrarian Geography of research that deepens an analysis on the peasantry, which often appropriates of the natural resources (using them with equilibry) in the communal lands. Our central objective of this research is the interpretation of the historical trajectory of this fraction of the peasantry and its territory, understanding that the peasantry, by means of its fights, constitutes itself as a social class (class for itself), and, as politicians citizens, to multiply in the capitalist way of production, stop a class fight. To understand the use of shared lands and its natural resources for this fraction of the brazilian and paranaense peasantry had made necessary to rescue these practices in the Spain and Portugal, as well as, its diverse followed forms of the variants of the ownership and property of the land in Brazil. The genesis of the communal lands of the Paraná occurred through an alliance constructed in the great farms of the General Fields of the Paraná, and enters a fraction of enslaved indians and Africans black run away enslaved, which materialize themselves in the mixing bushes of pine and its consolidation occurred with the contribution of a fraction of the polish peasants, Ukrainans immigrants and peasants who had obtained to escape of the genocide of the War of the Contested one. In the contemporaneity, the social formation of the communal land has diverse definitions, as much of the point of view of researchers, of the State, how much of the faxinalenses peasants, who hold its tripod of sustentation: shared lands in the common or communitarian creator, agricultural shared lands of the common or communitarian creator, lands or lands of plant. Social common practical and the religious ones are that they consolidate the way of life of the faxinalenses peasants, exactly facing social and ambient conflicts. The results of this research confirm the fight and resistance of the peasantry to multiply while classroom for itself and the certainty of the maintenance of the social formation of the communal land or its expansion through reconquest of spaces of its territory expropriated by the development in the capitalist way of production in the paranaense field.

One of the major policy objectives of the South African government is to reform land tenure and address the current inequitable dispossession of land. A key to the successful implementation of land reform in communal areas will be the recently enacted Communal Land Rights Act. This Act allows communities to be vested with juristic personality, and enables those communities to acquire and hold rights, incur obligations, and encumber the land by mortgage in the name of the community. Communities will now have a legal tenure recognized by and enforceable at law. The Act provides the mechanism for replacing old order rights with new order rights, which, in turn, may be upgraded to freehold title with community consent. While the Communal Land Rights Act is clear in its approach to providing legal security of tenure, the implementation and linking of the internal land rights within these new legal collective ownership structures to the existing formal system is still uncertain. With the flexibility allowed under the Act, this dissertation offers a simple, cost-effective alternative for the registration of land rights using the envisioned Land Clerk of the Department of Land Affairs. This option involves placing suitably equipped Land Clerks into the communities in which they serve, operating as autonomous self-sustaining contractors. Research for this project was conducted in the community of Ekuthuleni (KwaZuluNatal), where two members of the community were equipped with a portable rig and trained to perform as Land Clerks. The author and others from the University trained them in the use of a computer, scanner, printer, handheld GPS receiver, and assorted software. In addition, to allow them to function autonomously, a photovoltaic power system was set up at their residence. To assess their ability as Land Clerks, several field projects were undertaken within the community. Under the guidance of the author, these field tests involved contacting individual landowners, capturing personal and property information, and registering that data into a specially written database programme. Evidence of previous land ownership was noted and rebristered, GPS coordinates were collected and registered in the process of delineating the landowner's property, and a form reflecting all captured data was printed for the landowner's records. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

A prática de terras de uso comum desde tempos imemoriais, nas suas mais diversas formas, foi ou ainda é praticada em diversas partes do mundo, como na França (Vaine Pâtre, Biens Communaux), Itália (Della Comurione, Le Terre Del Compascuo), Angola, Colômbia, Portugal (Baldios), Espanha (Baldios e Montes Veciñais en Mam Común), Alemanha, Inglaterra, Ucrânia, Polônia, Brasil, entre outros países. No Brasil, as terras de uso comum e seus recursos naturais são apropriados por uma fração do campesinato. O uso dessas terras envolve elementos de identidade, indissociáveis do território ocupado, e regras de apropriação, que se expressam em diversas formas e denominações, como \'Terras de Preto\', \'Terras de Santo\', \'Terras dos Índios\', \'Terras de Herança\', \'Terras Soltas\', \'Fundo de Pasto\' e \'Faxinais\'. Entendendo que até o presente momento, existe uma lacuna na Geografia Agrária Brasileira quanto à elaboração de uma pesquisa que aprofunde a análise sobre o campesinato, pautei como objetivo central desse trabalho a interpretação da trajetória histórica dessa fração do campesinato e seu território. Para isso, compreendo abstratamente que o campesinato, por meio de lutas, constitui-se como uma classe social, para si, e que, como sujeitos políticos, para se sustentarem no modo capitalista de produção, travam uma luta de classe. Para compreender o uso das terras de uso comum e de seus recursos naturais por essa fração do campesinato brasileiro e, mais especificamente, paranaense, fez-se necessário resgatar como se davam essas práticas na Espanha e Portugal, assim como suas diversas formas e respectivas variantes de posse e propriedade da terra no Brasil. Considerando-se que a gênese dos faxinais do Paraná se deu por meio de uma aliança, construída nas grandes fazendas dos Campos Gerais do Paraná entre uma parcela de índios escravos e negros africanos escravos fugidos, a qual se concretizou nas matas mistas de Araucárias e se consolidou com a contribuição de uma fração de camponeses poloneses e de imigrantes ucranianos, que conseguiram escapar do genocídio da Guerra do Contestado. Na contemporaneidade, a formação social do faxinal tem diversas definições, tanto do ponto de vista de pesquisadores do Estado, quanto dos camponeses faxinalenses, que englobam seu tripé de sustentação: terras de uso comum no criadouro comum ou comunitário, cercas das terras de uso comum do criadouro comum ou comunitário e terras agrícolas ou terras de planta. As práticas sociais comuns e religiosas são o que consolidam o modo de vida dos camponeses faxinalenses, mesmo enfrentando conflitos sociais e ambientais. Os resultados dessa pesquisa confirmam a luta e a resistência dos camponeses faxinalenses para se manterem enquanto classe para si e a certeza da manutenção da formação social do faxinal ou da sua expansão por meio da reconquista de espaços da fração do território comunitário camponês faxinalense expropriado pelo desenvolvimento do modo capitalista de produção no campo paranaense. / The practice of shared lands since immemorial times, in its more diverse forms, was or still it is practiced in diverse places of the world, as in France Vaine Pâtre, Biens Communaux , Italy Della Comurione, Le Terre Del Compascuo , Angola, Colombia and Portugal Baldios ; Spain Baldios e Montes Veciñais en Man Común ; Germany, England, the Ukraine, Poland and Brazil, among others countries. In the Brazil, the shared lands and its natural resources are appropriate for a fraction of the peasantry. The use of these lands is followed of indispensable elements of identity of the busy territory and the rules of appropriation, that express themselves in diverse forms and denominations, as Lands of Black color, Lands of Saint, Lands of the Indians, Lands of Inheritance, Untied Lands, deep of grassland and communal lands. We understand that, until the moment, theres a gap in the Brazilian Agrarian Geography of research that deepens an analysis on the peasantry, which often appropriates of the natural resources (using them with equilibry) in the communal lands. Our central objective of this research is the interpretation of the historical trajectory of this fraction of the peasantry and its territory, understanding that the peasantry, by means of its fights, constitutes itself as a social class (class for itself), and, as politicians citizens, to multiply in the capitalist way of production, stop a class fight. To understand the use of shared lands and its natural resources for this fraction of the brazilian and paranaense peasantry had made necessary to rescue these practices in the Spain and Portugal, as well as, its diverse followed forms of the variants of the ownership and property of the land in Brazil. The genesis of the communal lands of the Paraná occurred through an alliance constructed in the great farms of the General Fields of the Paraná, and enters a fraction of enslaved indians and Africans black run away enslaved, which materialize themselves in the mixing bushes of pine and its consolidation occurred with the contribution of a fraction of the polish peasants, Ukrainans immigrants and peasants who had obtained to escape of the genocide of the War of the Contested one. In the contemporaneity, the social formation of the communal land has diverse definitions, as much of the point of view of researchers, of the State, how much of the faxinalenses peasants, who hold its tripod of sustentation: shared lands in the common or communitarian creator, agricultural shared lands of the common or communitarian creator, lands or lands of plant. Social common practical and the religious ones are that they consolidate the way of life of the faxinalenses peasants, exactly facing social and ambient conflicts. The results of this research confirm the fight and resistance of the peasantry to multiply while classroom for itself and the certainty of the maintenance of the social formation of the communal land or its expansion through reconquest of spaces of its territory expropriated by the development in the capitalist way of production in the paranaense field.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / This study focuses on women's perceptions of land rights in the communal areas of Namaqualand in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Here women farm land which they can access only through their relationships with male kin. Women's use rights are dependent on their relationships with fathers, husbands and sons; and it is virtually impossible for women to obtain land in their own names. Women's own views of rights, of access, of control and authority over land display a significant gender bias in favour of men. This study explores women's understandings and perceptions of land rights and agriculture and other forms of land use. The objectives of the study are to explore the links between patriarchal social systems and women's conservative attitudes towards holding land; and to show how current policy processes and legislation – aimed at strengthening the rights of existing landholders in communal areas – allow local customs to continue to entrench gender discriminatory practices. A small study was conducted through in-depth interviews with sixty-five women and two focus group discussions with women in Namaqualand. The scope of the study was limited to exploring the nature of women's land rights in five of the communal areas of Namaqualand; formal and informal "rules" around women's land rights; women's practices of asserting or realising land rights; challenges and opportunities that women experience in claiming their land rights; the views and understandings of women in relation to land use and its contribution to livelihoods; and how women understand the impact of current land reform policies on their access to land. For the purpose of this thesis, literature on land tenure, gender and land rights as well as on the history of the former Coloured rural reserves of Namaqualand was considered. The key findings of the study indicate that women are disadvantaged by historical norms, values and attitudes, which afford them only secondary rights to land. Yet, informal land practices – however limited – show that in some cases women are creating opportunities to gain access to land independently. For this to become the norm rather than an exception, these practices need recognition and support within the on-going land reform transformation process in Namaqualand.