Abstract            Volume:14  Issue-8  Year-2026         Original Research Articles

Online ISSN : 2347 - 3215 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcret@gmail.com

This article examines how people in the communes of Nikki and Tchaourou perceive institutional land reforms, and what factors influence whether they adopt them. The study uses a mixed-methods approach: surveys of 160 rural households, semi-structured interviews with administrative and customary authorities and technical staff, focus groups, and field observations. Qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis, while quantitative data were processed with descriptive statistics and tests to compare perceptions across stakeholder groups. The findings show that people’s views of land reforms depend a lot on how much information they have, their social status, and how much they trust institutions. While land tenure security tools are widely seen as useful for reducing conflicts and protecting customary rights, adoption is still low. This is due to the persistence of customary norms, limited information, complex procedures, and stronger trust in traditional authorities. Perceptions also differ by actor type and local context, showing that reforms are taken up in different ways. The study concludes that the success of land reforms depends not just on good laws, but also on how rural populations understand and represent them.

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