Land Scarcity, LJish'bution and Conflict in Rwanda 65ethno-regional minority. in Gisenyi and Kibuye prefectures in the south, for
example, where violence took an ethnic form, elite Hutu exploited the griev-
ances of the poor landless and turned them against their Tutsi neighboun
while promising them the Tutsi lands in return.j3
The civil war displaced up to one million Rwandans inside Rwanda. Many
of them settled in areas already confronted with ecological scarcity such as
the Ruhengeri and Butare prefectures, whereas others moved into sensitive
environments, such as steep hillsides. lDPs increased resource demands lead-
ing to fierce competition between themselves and other local inhabitants.
Gasana argues that the dissatisfaction of the rural peasantry as well as the
grievances of the IDPs were channelled into anti-RPF and anti-Tutsi senti-
ments, leading to conflict.
Grievances linked to soil erosion also emerged in the highlands of the
southern prefectures of Gisenyi and Gikongoro and parts of Butare, Byumba,
Cyangugu and Kibuye. These prefectures have acid soils that lack any regen-
erative capacity when put under intense cropping and are highly erodible.
These prefectures all recorded negative rates of food production and hence
retained a permanent situation of food scarcity compared to the positive rates
recorded in the northern prefectures of Kibungo and Ruhengeri.Land as a Source of Conflict
The role of land is crucial to understanding the civil war and genocide in
Rwanda. Several authors have asserted the link between land scarcity and con-
flict in Rwanda. Land is the most important asset for most Rwandans and will
remain important for many yeas to come." Around 95% of the active popu-
lation derives its livelihood from the production of food crops. A common
understanding imparted in many analyses of the Rwandan conflict is that pop
ulation pressure leading to land scarcity was the ultimate cause of conflict in
Rwanda. However, it is clear that this view is limited, and that a number of
other factors interacted to cause conflict in Rwanda, as 01son5j notes. Rapid
population growth, soil degradation, low prices for agricultural produce, lack
of access to productive resources, unequal distribution of land, limited gov-
ernment investment, and limited off-farm opportunities amounted to "produc-
tion pressure on a constrained resource", in the words of 01son.j6Land Acquisition and Access
A 2001 survey carried out by the Ministry of Environmental Rehabilitation
and Protection examined several mechanisms used to acquire land in
Rwanda, including inheritance, government distribution, the market and by
donation.