*Taking Stock of Local Land Rush and Their Development Benefits for Women Farmers… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108939*

investors may consider land grabbing as a means of providing development to the locals in terms of better and improved access to better roads and social services such as health centres, access to potable water and electricity, such land deals are characterized by the violation of human rights, are not based on free, prior and informed consent of the land users, and usually ignore the social, economic and environmental impacts including the way the process is gendered [16, 22]. There is increasing concern about the positive and negative impacts of these land deals on the livelihoods of men and women who are those who are usually displaced.

The North West Region (NWR) is characterized by various ethnic groups reflecting widespread ethnic diversity also observed in the country [6, 32]. The major ethnic groups (otherwise considered indigenes) in the province include the Bali, Widekum, Nso, Mbembe and the Aghem. Another population group (minority) in the province constituting about 5–10% of the total population is the Mbororo; a group of pastoralists and Muslim migrants from Northern Cameroon. Deriving from the ethnic diversity is a number of centralized villages and chiefdoms, which are autonomous with similar economic and socio-political structures and are by and large culturally and linguistically heterogeneous [6, 33, 34].

Although there are various forms of religious practices (Christianity, Islam, and traditional beliefs), the people of the NWR are predominantly Christians with the minority Mbororo mainly Muslims [33, 34]. The diverse ethnic background is characteristic of variations in traditional norms and practices (purdah and female seclusion, age and forms of marriage, etc). Whilst adherence to these practices may also define the extent of gender inequality, which does vary by ethnic group, purdah and female seclusion is common amongst the Mbororo and Muslims [32, 33]. There are plausible ways through which these practices can influence women's position within the household. Pelican [32] suggests an association between polygamy, religious practice and ethnicity. Polygamy, which is widespread amongst Muslims and those observing traditional religious practices (than amongst Christians), reinforces negative social standing and limited access to resources for women [6, 32, 33]. For instance, male financial support may be limited in polygamous homes due to greater competition for resources [32], exacerbating the burden of household subsistence on women and greater constraints with access to health care, education and other basic needs for children in such homes. Whilst this may raise concerns as to the changing position of women, it also highlights the role of socio-cultural factors in defining the availability and accessibility of production resources including land to women within the household.
