In the region where I come from land is a family inheritance that is guarded very jealously, family members will do anything within their power to keep the territorial inheritance. In fact I did not know how serious this was until recently when my family relocated to the village. I hear all kinds of comments about the family land and what they are doing to keep it within the family. This is not to say they cannot sell some portions to others, even non-natives for development but they still save some portions for the family , even for future generations.
However, when the land is not properly taken care of, others will trepass and develop without the permission of the family and before the family realizes, their land is either totally overrun or there are litigations all over the courts.
My main aim in this discuss is the way that we as Africans blame foreigners for taking over our territorial space; during slavery and colonization, that cry would have been realistic not now. You cannot allow your farm to lie fallow for long periods and complain when others take advantage and cultivate your farm. If you cannot cultivate your farm for whatever reasons, you can lease it to someone who will use it for that period but when you do not show any interest in cultivating your farm, someone else will and this time, it might be completely taken from you since there was no proper agreement and the person cannot be blamed.
We as Africans must learn to value our farm so that we either cultivate it ourselves or we partner with others who are willing to help us, that way the partnership is mutual and the development is profitable to all.
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