Private colonization of land /

"Office of the Secretary of the American Association for Agricultural Legislation."

Exposition of the Houmas Land Claim, and of the second section of the Missouri Land Bill, approved June 2, 1858 ...

Signed at end of text on p. 30: Frederick Weber Hart, Romanta Tillotson, delegates of the settlers on the Houmas Claim.

New York land patents, 1688-1786 : covering land now included in the State of Vermont (not including military patents) /

Mode of access: Internet.

Land ownership map: 1669-1796.

Scale ca. 1:14,400.

[Plat of land grant survey in South Carolina, accompanied by deed of grant] /

Pen-and-ink.

The End of the Urban-Rural Divide?

The urban-rural divide in China was an entrenched feature of Chinese society in the Maoist era. This divide generated and continues to generate inequality as between the rural population and the urban population. In post-Deng China, legal and administrative distinctions between urban and rural have become blurred, especially with the development of rural-urban migration. Nevertheless, the urban-rural divide still exists, and the income of farmers is below that of urban residents. In this paper, it is argued that the emergence of the phenomenon of “quasi-commons” in rural China, crossing the “borders” of the urbanrural divide, may increase farmers’ income in the future and bridge this divide. The paper focuses on different forms of “quasi-commons” (the sharing and use of communal land) emerging in rural areas, including the farmland shareholding cooperatives and transforming rural land management rights into shares in joint ventures. There are divergent views held by Chinese academics and policy makers about “quasi-commons” in rural China, as well as the direction of change in the rural land system. However, most of the proposals for reform have been polarized between nationalization and privatization of rural land. Looking beyond this “boundary thinking” and drawing on the discourses of “the commons” (for example, the writings of Hardin, Heller and Ostrom), this paper analyses the theoretical models of both the nationalization and privatization schemes and their shortcomings. The present essay also analyses the prospect for, and the barriers to the emerging commons in rural China.

Decent work?

Pastoralism and ranching are two different rangeland-based livestock systems in dryland areas of East Africa. Both usually operate under low and irregular rainfall and consequently low overall primary biomass production of high spatial and temporal heterogeneity. Both are usually located far from town centres, market outlets and communication, medical, educational, banking, insurance and other infrastructure. Whereas pastoralists can be regarded as self-employed, gaining their livelihood from managing their individually owned livestock on communal land, ranches mostly employ herders as wage labourers to manage the livestock owned by the ranch on the ranches’ own land property. Both production systems can be similarly labour intensive and – with regard to the livestock management – require the same type of work, whether carried out as self-employed pastoralist or as employed herder on a work contract. Given this similarity, the aim of this study was to comparatively assess how pastoralists and employed herders in northern Kenya view their working conditions, and which criteria they use to assess hardship and rewards in their daily work and their working life. Their own perception is compared with the concept of Decent Work developed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Samburu pastoralists in Marsabit and Samburu Districts as well as herders on ranches in Laikipia District were interviewed. A qualitative analysis of 47 semi-structured interviews yielded information about daily activities, income, free time, education and social security. Five out of 22 open interviews with pastoralists and seven out of 13 open interviews with employed herders fully transcribed and subjected to qualitative content analysis to yield life stories of 12 informants. Pastoralists consider it important to have healthy and satisfied animals. The ability to provide food for their family especially for the children has a high priority. Hardships for the pastoralists are, if activities are exhausting, and challenging, and dangerous. For employed herders, decent conditions are if their wages are high enough to be able to provide food for their family and formal education for their children. It is further most important for them to do work they are experienced and skilled in. Most employed herders were former pastoralists, who had lost their animals due to drought or raids. There are parallels between the ILO ‘Decent Work’ concept and the perception of working conditions of pastoralists and employed herders. These are, for example, that remuneration is of importance and the appreciation by either the employer or the community is desired. Some aspects that are seen as important by the ILO such as safety at work and healthy working conditions only play a secondary role to the pastoralists, who see risky and dangerous tasks as inherent characteristics of their efforts to gain a livelihood in their living environment.

From Subsistence Agriculture to Commercial Enterprise: Community management of green technologies for resilient food production

The aim of this paper is to emphasize the capacity and resilience of rural communities in regard to sustainable food security by adopting innovative approaches to irrigation. The shift from subsistence to commercial agriculture is promoted as a means to sustainable development. An analysis of the efficacy of irrigation schemes in Zimbabwe suggests that, in terms of providing sustainable agricultural production, they have neither been cost-effective nor have they provided long-term food security to their beneficiaries. This is certainly true of Shashe Scheme and most others in Beitbridge District. The Shashe Irrigation Scheme project represents a bold attempt at developing a fresh approach to the management of communal land irrigation schemes through a Private Public Community Partnership. The model illustrated represents a paradigm shift from subsistence agriculture to a system based on new technologies, market linkages and community ownership that build resilience and lead to sustainable food security and economic prosperity.

Chemical composition and in vitro ruminal fermentation of common tree forages in the semi-arid rangelands of Swaziland

Browse plants play an important role in providing feed for livestock in semi-arid rangelands of Africa. Chemical composition and in vitro ruminal fermentation of leaves collected from Acacia burkei, Acacia tortilis, Acacia nilotica, Dichrostachys cinerea and Ehretia obtusifolia in communal grazing lands in the lowveld of Swaziland is presented. Leaves were collected from trees located on two soil types (i.e., lithosol and vertisol) in the communal land but it had no effect on the chemical composition of tree leaves. The NDFom and ADFom content were highest in D. cinerea and A. burkei and lowest in E. obtusifolia and A. nilotica. Crude protein (CP) contents ranged between 108 g/kg and 122 g/kg DM. D. cinerea had the highest Ca and Mg content, while A. tortilis had the lowest. There were marked variations in K level amongst browse species, with A. tortilis (9.1 g/kg DM) having the highest value. The P, Zn and Fe did not differ between browse species. Soil type and tree species interaction impacted in vitro fermentation parameters. Extent of fermentation, as measured by 48 h cumulative gas production, and organic matter degradability was highest in E. obtusifolia leaves and lowest in D. cinerea leaves within soil type. Fermentation efficiency, as measured by partitioning factors, was highest in A. nilotica leaves. Leaves of E. obtusifolia could be a valuable supplementary feedstuff for ruminant livestock due to its in vitro fermentation characteristics as well as low fibre and moderate CP levels. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

As sesmarias em Portugal e no Brasil: a colonização do Brasil analisada por meio das cartas de doação e dos forais

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Lucia B. Bell Papers - Accession 255

The Lucia B. Bell Papers consist of historical and family history information pertaining to the Bell family of South Carolina. Most of the material relates to the Bell Family and other allies clans such as the Gaston, Coln, and Stinson Families. The earliest dated material includes notes on the Bell family’s coat-of-arms and a listing of land grants from 1770-1848. Information on the Chester County Covenanters along with reprinted historical sketches concerning the area’s general history and a biographical sketch on Reverend William Martin, the first Chester County Covenanter preacher. A brief history of Fishing Creek Presbyterian Church is provided with listing of former church elders and deacons from 1895-1958.

Estructura y transferencia de la propiedad comunal de Colalao y Tolombón (provincia de Tucumán) en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX

En este trabajo se estudia el proceso de fraccionamiento de la propiedad comunal de los indígenas de Colalao y Tolombón, de la provincia de Tucumán, entre 1870 y 1890 en el contexto de la avanzada azucarera, con el correspondiente desarrollo de las estructuras capitalistas. Se reconstruyó la evolución de la estructura agraria, se indagó sobre las formas de distribución de los terrenos comunales, se determinó el número y apellidos de las familias originarias propietarias con anterioridad y posterioridad al fraccionamiento de tierras y, por último, se sondearon distintas características de los compradores y vendedores de las tierras comunales.

El influjo del Derecho Indiano en la legislación sobre ejidos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, 1782-1870

Los pueblos de la actual provincia de Buenos Aires se fueron conformando mayormente de manera espontánea, a medida que se asentaba la población y se avanzaba sobre el espacio apropiado a los indígenas; en la mayoría de los casos al amparo de los fuertes o las capillas. Los ejidos de esos pueblos existían de hecho como tierras de pan llevar pero se trazaron formalmente recién durante el siglo XIX. A lo largo de este trabajo se analizará el modo en que se operó la construcción de un cuerpo jurídico para los ejidos bonaerenses poniendo especial interés en la influencia del derecho indiano

Estructura y transferencia de la propiedad comunal de Colalao y Tolombón (provincia de Tucumán) en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX

En este trabajo se estudia el proceso de fraccionamiento de la propiedad comunal de los indígenas de Colalao y Tolombón, de la provincia de Tucumán, entre 1870 y 1890 en el contexto de la avanzada azucarera, con el correspondiente desarrollo de las estructuras capitalistas. Se reconstruyó la evolución de la estructura agraria, se indagó sobre las formas de distribución de los terrenos comunales, se determinó el número y apellidos de las familias originarias propietarias con anterioridad y posterioridad al fraccionamiento de tierras y, por último, se sondearon distintas características de los compradores y vendedores de las tierras comunales.

El influjo del Derecho Indiano en la legislación sobre ejidos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, 1782-1870

Los pueblos de la actual provincia de Buenos Aires se fueron conformando mayormente de manera espontánea, a medida que se asentaba la población y se avanzaba sobre el espacio apropiado a los indígenas; en la mayoría de los casos al amparo de los fuertes o las capillas. Los ejidos de esos pueblos existían de hecho como tierras de pan llevar pero se trazaron formalmente recién durante el siglo XIX. A lo largo de este trabajo se analizará el modo en que se operó la construcción de un cuerpo jurídico para los ejidos bonaerenses poniendo especial interés en la influencia del derecho indiano