Abstract This chapter explores the transformative impact of decentralization and land reforms on rural land access and management in Burkina Faso. Focusing on the legal arrangements that led to the shift from centralized state control to community-based governance, the study highlights the challenges and implications of implementing such reforms in a centralized context characterized by legal pluralism. By analyzing Burkina Faso’s experience, the chapter provides insights into the complexities of land tenure security, the role of local institutions and the broader implications for sustainable land governance. Following an exploration of both the decentralization and the rural land reforms, the chapter turns to their consequences on land ownership and management: the redefinition of state property, the creation of a territorial public domain and the individualization of land tenure. This chapter contributes to the literature on rural land rights and is relevant to other national contexts in Africa, particularly in former French colonies with common legal and regulatory characteristics.