Communal land is a (mostly rural) territory in possession of a community, rather than an individual or company
. This sort of arrangement existed in almost all Europe until the 18th century, by which the king or the church officially owned the land, but allowed the peasants to work in them in exchange for a levy. These institutions still survive today in
Switzerland and
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label= Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, af ...
.
This system has also existed in Africa, Asia and America, and in some parts has persisted until today. A group or culture historically owns a piece of land and distributes it among its members, through the relevant authority. The good management of this land is veiled by the group itself, which can revoke the right of use to a farmer if this one is using it badly or for the wrong means.
The concept of communal land does not meet well with modern-day law, which is based on
private property, so these territories more often than not are without a legal owner, which in law means it is property of the state. This has opened the door to cases of
land grabbing by corporations, which has been the source of many conflicts and strife.
Zimbabwe
The term communal land in
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
refers to certain rural areas within the country. Communal lands were formerly called Tribal Trust Lands (TTL's).
Subsistence farming
Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no ...
and small scale commercial farming are the principal economic activities in communal lands, there is usually limited additional employment apart from in a
growth point A growth point is a technical term in cognitive linguistics and gesture research. It refers to the earliest beginnings of a spoken utterance
In spoken language analysis, an utterance is a continuous piece of speech, often beginning and ending wit ...
and with jobs like
teaching
Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the context of an educational institution. Teaching is closely ...
. Some communal lands have high