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Using Land to Promote Refugee Self-Reliance in Uganda

Author

Listed:
  • Timothy Berke

    (Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan, 2000 Bonisteel Boulevard, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2069, USA)

  • Larissa Larsen

    (Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan, 2000 Bonisteel Boulevard, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2069, USA)

Abstract

Around the world, the number of people displaced from their homes continues to increase due to political conflict and climate change. The Ugandan government’s policy for settling refugees shifts the focus from seeing refugees as humanitarian obligations to recognizing that refugee settlements bring improved services and infrastructure that can serve both refugees and residents of the host communities. A key aspect of this policy is to provide refugees with land use rights, so they are able to achieve “self-reliance”. This research investigates (1) the role of planning in establishing the physical layout of Bidi Bidi, Uganda’s largest integrated settlement, (2) the host community’s rationale for allowing refugees access to their land, and (3) how refugees used this land. Based on interviews, participant observation, GIS analysis, and document analysis, we learned how refugees altered the settlement’s layout to better meet their needs, the unintended consequences of large- scale deforestation on the most vulnerable, and the limitations of the land-based approach to achieve self-reliance. These findings suggest expanding the avenues to achieve self-reliance, improving “integration” of service provision between refugees and residents of the host community, and protecting the area’s environment to maintain needed resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Timothy Berke & Larissa Larsen, 2022. "Using Land to Promote Refugee Self-Reliance in Uganda," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-18, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:3:p:410-:d:768940
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Evangeline Grosrenaud & Clement Akais Okia & Andrew Adam-Bradford & Liz Trenchard, 2021. "Agroforestry: Challenges and Opportunities in Rhino Camp and Imvepi Refugee Settlements of Arua District, Northern Uganda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-18, February.
    2. Tuepker, Anais & Chi, Chunhuei, 2009. "Evaluating integrated healthcare for refugees and hosts in an African context," Health Economics, Policy and Law, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(2), pages 159-178, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Atukwatse Judith & Dr. Ogbona Chidiebere, 2022. "Land Allocation and Conflicts among Refugees and Host Communities, A case of Nakivale and Oruchinga Refugee Settlements in Western Uganda," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(12), pages 132-138, December.

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