This book is the product of a six-year project from the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Program (SANREM CRSP) which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It assesses how conflicting claims to scarce natural resources (land, farmer's rights) can be resolved in the agricultural and pastoral systems or arid and semi-arid regions of West Africa. Based on research in Mali, this book describes the approach, components and outcomes of the project and describes hwo the model can be applied elsewhere to improve resource management and community initiatives. The book will be of significant interest to those working in the areas of rural sociology and development and agricultural, development and natural resource economics.