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Customary West African Rural Factor Markets

In: Institutions and Agrarian Development

Author

Listed:
  • Erwin Bulte

    (Wageningen University and Research)

  • Paul Richards

    (Njala University)

  • Maarten Voors

    (Wageningen University and Research)

Abstract

We discuss customary institutional arrangements governing the mobilization and allocation of production factors. This includes a description of agricultural production in West Africa, followed by an in-depth discussion of how institutions interlink with the allocation and accumulation of land, labour, and capital. Social bonds play an important role in mobilizing capital, where access to markets and formal financial systems are low. The key resources for agricultural productivity are land and labour. We look at the role of chiefs and family descent groups (or clans) in regulating user rights to land. We show both how, historically, agrarian servitude helped overcome labour bottlenecks, and how today, labour mobilization sometimes takes place via the judicial system.

Suggested Citation

  • Erwin Bulte & Paul Richards & Maarten Voors, 2018. "Customary West African Rural Factor Markets," Palgrave Studies in Agricultural Economics and Food Policy, in: Institutions and Agrarian Development, chapter 0, pages 59-84, Palgrave Macmillan.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:psachp:978-3-319-98500-8_4
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-98500-8_4
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