Ethiopia's land certification program : effect on soil conservation investment by rural and peri-urban farmers

Abstract

CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND: In Ethiopia, farmers do not have individual property rights to the land they occupy and cultivate since the 1995 Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) constitution clearly states that land belongs to the state and the peoples of Ethiopia. To address concerns about the insecure tenure of farmers that could result from the absence of enduring private ownership of land, to eliminate land disputes, to promote sustainable use of land resources, and to support long-term land-related investments, such as soil conservation measures, the Ethiopian government introduced a land registration and certification program in 1998. In addition, cities and towns are also rapidly expanding horizontally, encroaching on fertile agricultural land, which could reverse the land tenure security expected from the land certification program. GOAL AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims to examine the effect of Ethiopia's land certification program on the soil conservation practices of rural and peri-urban farming households in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. METHODOLOGY: The study employs descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression model to empirically assess the effect of the Ethiopian land certification program on investment in soil conservation practices. RESULTS: The study found that 54.59%, said they conserved their plots, while the remaining 45.41% had not engaged in soil conservation practices. Conversely, 60.11% of the certified peri-urban respondents stated they did not conserve their plots. The logit model’s marginal effects indicated that the influence of the Ethiopian land certification program on the probability of soil conservation depended on the geographic location of the farmers. Specifically, rural program participants were more likely to engage in soil conservation practices.