Dynamics of Women’s Access Conditions to Agricultural Land among the Yacouba of Danané

Abstract

Land and gender are two natural elements that have important cultural dimensions in many societies, especially in Africa. The Yacouba of Danané (western Côte d’Ivoire), in their tradition, except in exceptional cases, do not favor inheritance or ownership of agricultural land by women. With the politico-military crisis that Côte d’Ivoire experienced between 2002 and 2011, during which Danané was besieged by the rebels, it was to be feared that the land situation of yacouba women in this locality would worsen. However, there is an improvement in their land conditions. By focusing on the changes in land practices underway in the Yacouba tradition of Danané, this study aims to identify the determinants of dynamics of Yacouba women’s access conditions to agricultural land in Danané. To do this, focus groups with presidents of women farmers’ associations, individual interviews with customary chiefs, agents of women’s support structures and women farmers were carried out and transcribed. The thematic analysis of the content of these transcripts reveals the role played by NGOs and other human rights defense structures in Danané during the military-political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire and the impact of the action of these organizations as factors of this dynamic. However, there are still socio-land issues faced specifically by Yacouba women in Danané that prevent them from fully exercising their land rights.