21 Agriculture in Africa • http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-1134-0 Smallholder Land Access: A New Landscape in Africa? Klaus Deininger, Sara Savastano, and Fang Xia Overview Common wisdom: Land is abundant in Africa, and since technology is relatively traditional, there is limited scope for productivity-enhancing land transactions. Land rental markets and their institutional underpinnings therefore play only a minor role in the development process. Findings: • Land rental markets are important for most of the countries studied. • Large differences in land endowments and productivity create potential for land markets to equalize endowments and contribute to higher levels of productivity. • Land rental markets improve equity by promoting land access to those with limited land endowments. • Labor-rich and young households are more likely to participate in land markets in most countries. (Niger is an exception.) • Female heads of households are much less likely to lease in land. This finding points toward significant barriers to land market participation by women. • Rental market performance seems lower where there are greater risks of expropriation. Policy messages: • Legal framework: To support sustainable land management, investment in land improvements, and efficiency-enhancing transfers, property rights that effectively protect against the threat of land loss are essential. Low-cost models to secure these CHAPTER 3