Assessing the land conflicts and management strategies Used by smallholder Irish potato (solanum tuberosum) Farmers in Kisoro district, Uganda

Abstract

Celebrated in 2008, the United Nations International Year of the Potato (IYP) highlighted the important role of the Irish potato in agriculture, the economy and world food security. Globally, agriculture and food security are affected by a number of constraints including land conflicts. As population grows, land becomes scarce and its demand rises. In Uganda and Kisoro District in particular, there is an increasing level of land conflicts needing mitigation among smallholder Irish potato farmers. Thus the study was conducted to assess land conflicts and management strategies used by smallholder Irish potato (Solanum tuberosum) farmers in Kisoro District, Uganda. The specific objectives were to: determine the nature and effects of land conflicts on the productivity of Irish potatoes; establish management strategies used by smallholder farmers to resolve the land conflicts in Kisoro District. A descriptive case study design was adopted for the study. Data was collected from 202 respondents using questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Qualitative data collected on the nature and management of land conflicts was analysed using percentages and thematic analysis or as verbatim or paraphrased statements while quantitative data on effects of land conflicts on Irish potato productivity was analysed using a paired sample t-test. Findings indicated that 66.8% of smallholder Irish potato farmers in Kisoro District were directly experiencing land conflicts arising mainly from land inheritance, poor and unclear land demarcations. Further findings indicated that land grabbing, borderline fights, illegal relocation of boundaries, selling to multiple buyers and disagreements among siblings regarding sharing of land were experienced. The occurrence of land conflicts resulted into court injunction on the use of the land, leaving land idle for seasons, fights and quarrels that resulted into injuries, loss of finance and time that affected smallholder Irish potato farming. A t-test was done for the mean yield of 4728kgha-1 before conflict and 3789kgha-1 after the conflict at 0.05 level of significance. The results indicated that land conflicts had a significant effect on Irish potato productivity (p value=0.003<0.05), which means conflict lower yields thus productivity. The yield and income from Irish potatoes were found to reduce by 20% as a result of the land conflicts. The strategies used by smallholder farmers to manage the conflicts include; court arbitration, seeking mediation from family members and clan elders, proper fencing of the land and on rare occasions, the conflicting parties peacefully resolved their differences. Based on the findings, it was concluded that land conflicts had significant delays on Irish potato production activities thus a possible reduction in yields hence needing redress. Therefore, it is recommended that land laws are reviewed, people are educated on land title acquisition and local leaders are empowered to help in proper demarcation of land. For further research study, the researcher recommends examining the role of local leaders and culture in land conflict management in rural farming communities in Uganda.