Land Tenure Security and Unsecured Livelihoods: Post Land Reform Development in The Philippines

This paper focuses on the role of land market transactions i.e. land leasing and usufruct mortgage, and its impact on the livelihoods in a post policy reforms in the Philippines. A case study was undertaken with the Manobo tribe and landless sugarcane labourers in the villages of Quezon, Bukidnon (Philippines). They invested on acquired lands but failed to sustain it, instead, were induced to land market participation. Livelihood insecurities are explored which highlight its eroding and enhancing (Rigg 2006) outcomes from participating in the land transactions (Ellis 2000, Rigg 2006, World Bank 2003). The main inquiry is focused on: what are the impacts of land markets, i.e. lease and usufruct mortgage participation of the beneficiaries of land policy reforms, to their livelihoods shortly after securing it? Subsumed questions confront the reasons why they participated and opted to rent out their lands after securing it? What are the local determinants and mechanisms of land transfers in the area? How do schemes of land market transaction work in Quezon? And finally, what were the changes and effects on the livelihood conditions of the new landowners?