MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR IN LIBERIA (CAAS-Lib) Volume 2.2 - Sub-Sector Reports Liberia 2007 CAAS-Lib Sub-Sector Reports Volume 2.2 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. LAND AND WATER MANAGEMENT COMPONENT ...............................................3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................3 1. Introduction..................................................................................................................16 2. Terms of Reference......................................................................................................16 3. Background..................................................................................................................16 4. Water Resources Legislation and Administration in Liberia.......................................18 4.1 Water resources legislation.................................................................................18 4.2 Water resources administration and institutions.................................................19 4.3 Agricultural water management..........................................................................22 4.4 Hydrometeorology..............................................................................................23 4.5 Surface water ......................................................................................................25 4.6 Groundwater .......................................................................................................26 5. Land Resource Assessment and Management in liberia..............................................27 5.1 Land resources assessment .................................................................................27 5.2 Review of some agricultural land and water projects........................................35 6. Emerging Isues in the Land and Water Sector.............................................................38 7. Demand for Rice Land and Water ...............................................................................39 8. Land and Water Development Constraints and Potential............................................40 9. Potential Land and Water Investment Activities .........................................................43 9.1 Proposed projects................................................................................................43 9.2 Project costs ........................................................................................................47 9.3 Project benefits....................................................................................................47 9.4 Project management............................................................................................48 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................49 ANNEX 1.................................................................................................................................51 ANNEX 2.................................................................................................................................56 ANNEX 3.................................................................................................................................58 ANNEX 4.................................................................................................................................61 ANNEX 5.................................................................................................................................64 II. LAND TENURE .............................................................................................................69 1. Introduction – Methodology and Scope.......................................................................69 2. Primary Land Issues.....................................................................................................69 2.1 Landholding types, tenure security, investments, and technology adoption ......69 2.2 Deed/document holdings ....................................................................................69 2.3 Customary holdings ............................................................................................71 2.4 Rental and leased holdings..................................................................................71 2.5 Borrowed holdings..............................................................................................72 2.6 Squatted holdings................................................................................................72 2.7 Technology adoption and investments in land for smallholders ........................72 3. Secondary Land Issues.................................................................................................73 4. Concessions..................................................................................................................73 4.1 Rubber concessions.............................................................................................74 4.2 Timber concessions.............................................................................................75 4.3 Other concessions ...............................................................................................75 5. Community and Tribal Lands Issues ...........................................................................75 iii CAAS-Lib Sub-Sector Reports Volume 2.2 5.1 General................................................................................................................75 5.2 The Mandingo issue............................................................................................76 5.3 The aggravation of the Muslim–Christian divide...............................................76 5.4 Women’s issues ..................................................................................................76 5.5 Refugees and IDPs..............................................................................................77 6. Ongoing issues needing further clarification...............................................................77 7. The Way Forward ........................................................................................................79 7.1 “Approach” issues...............................................................................................79 7.2 The “category” approach ....................................................................................79 8. The time problem.........................................................................................................81 9. Emergence of informal, micro “rule of law” systems..................................................81 10. The evidence problem..................................................................................................81 11. The dual land tenure system ........................................................................................82 12. Recommendations........................................................................................................83 13. Overview of land tenure components – Liberia...........................................................84 ANNEX 1 ............................................................................................................................87 ANNEX 2 ............................................................................................................................90 ANNEX 3 ............................................................................................................................94 III. MECHANIZATION AND POST-HARVEST STUDY..............................................97 1. Introduction..................................................................................................................97 2. Methodology of the study............................................................................................97 3. Mechanization..............................................................................................................99 3.1 Tractorization......................................................................................................99 3.1.1 Review of past experiences.....................................................................99 3.1.2 Strengths ...............................................................................................100 3.1.3 Weaknesses...........................................................................................101 3.2 Power-tillers......................................................................................................102 3.2.1 Past experiences....................................................................................102 3.2.2 Strengths ...............................................................................................103 3.2.3 Weaknesses...........................................................................................103 3.3 Rice post-harvest processing.............................................................................104 3.3.1 High technology....................................................................................104 3.3.2 Combine harvesters (large scale)..........................................................104 3.3.2.1 Strengths ..................................................................................104 3.3.2.2 Weaknesses..............................................................................104