Population pressure, rural-to-rural migration and evolution of land tenure institutions: The case of Uganda

- This study explores how land tenure systems endogenously evolves over time.
- Specifically, this study examines how population pressure and internal migration influence changes in land tenure arrangements in Uganda.
- We find more privately owned land in immigrant-dominated and ethnically diverse communities.
- The study also finds higher crop yield on privately owned parcels.

This study examines the evolutionary process of land tenure systems in Uganda from communal to private ownership with a special attention to the role of rural-to-rural migration as a key driving force. By tracing migration patterns using unique longitudinal household survey data containing detailed information on land tenure and migration history, we found that immigrant-dominated communities have a higher incidence of private land ownership even after controlling for population density and market access. We also found that land markets are more active in immigrant-dominated communities and that private land ownership results in higher agricultural productivity.