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Gender dimensions of land tenure reforms in Ethiopia 1995-2020

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  • Holden, Stein T.

    (Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences)

Abstract

This chapter investigates how land tenure reforms in Ethiopia have influenced the position of women in terms of land tenure security, access to land, decision-power over land within households, as well as the gendered impacts of these tenure reforms on land investments, land productivity, land renting, and household consumption welfare. It is based on a careful screening of the relevant literature based on its quality and critically examining the reliability of the causal effects in each study. As most studies are based on survey data, studies that have been able to provide reasonably robust quantitative assessments are utilized. The review concludes that there exists strong evidence that the low-cost land registration and certification reform in Ethiopia has contributed to strengthening women’s land rights and decision-power over land and this has had positive welfare effects in female-headed as well as male-headed households. More research is needed to study the productivity and welfare effects of the ongoing 2nd Stage Land Registration and Certification reform but early findings indicate that it has contributed to formally document parcel-level land rights of women that are close to that of men even in the Tigray region where 1st Stage Land Registration and Certification was in the name of the head of household that in most cases was a man.

Suggested Citation

  • Holden, Stein T., 2020. "Gender dimensions of land tenure reforms in Ethiopia 1995-2020," CLTS Working Papers 6/20, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:nlsclt:2020_006
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hagos, Hosaena Ghebru & Holden, Stein, 2013. "Links between tenure security and food security: Evidence from Ethiopia:," IFPRI discussion papers 1288, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. Stein T. Holden & Keijiro Otsuka & Klaus Deininger (ed.), 2013. "Land Tenure Reform in Asia and Africa," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-137-34381-9.
    3. Holden, Stein T. & Tilahun, Mesfin, 2020. "Farm size and gender distribution of land: Evidence from Ethiopian land registry data," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    4. Mequanint B. Melesse & Adane Dabissa & Erwin Bulte, 2018. "Joint Land Certification Programmes and Women’s Empowerment: Evidence from Ethiopia," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(10), pages 1756-1774, October.
    5. Mintewab Bezabih & Stein Holden & Andrea Mannberg, 2016. "The Role of Land Certification in Reducing Gaps in Productivity between Male- and Female-Owned Farms in Rural Ethiopia," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(3), pages 360-376, March.
    6. Deininger, Klaus & Ali, Daniel Ayalew & Holden, Stein & Zevenbergen, Jaap, 2008. "Rural Land Certification in Ethiopia: Process, Initial Impact, and Implications for Other African Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 36(10), pages 1786-1812, October.
    7. Stein Holden & Bekele Shiferaw & John Pender, 2001. "Market Imperfections and Land Productivity in the Ethiopian Highlands," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(3), pages 53-70, September.
    8. Kumar, Neha & Quisumbing, Agnes R., 2015. "Policy Reform toward Gender Equality in Ethiopia: Little by Little the Egg Begins to Walk," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 406-423.
    9. Steven Lawry & Cyrus Samii & Ruth Hall & Aaron Leopold & Donna Hornby & Farai Mtero, 2017. "The impact of land property rights interventions on investment and agricultural productivity in developing countries: a systematic review," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 61-81, January.
    10. Muchomba, Felix M., 2017. "Women’s Land Tenure Security and Household Human Capital: Evidence from Ethiopia’s Land Certification," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 310-324.
    11. Joireman, S.F., 2008. "The Mystery of Capital Formation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Women, Property Rights and Customary Law," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 1233-1246, July.
    12. Therese Dokken, 2015. "Allocation of Land Tenure Rights in Tigray: How Large Is the Gender Bias?," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 91(1), pages 106-125.
    13. Stein T. Holden & Hosaena Ghebru, 2013. "Welfare Impacts of Land Certification in Tigray, Ethiopia," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Stein T. Holden & Keijiro Otsuka & Klaus Deininger (ed.), Land Tenure Reform in Asia and Africa, chapter 6, pages 137-161, Palgrave Macmillan.
    14. Holden, Stein T. & Tilahun, Mesfin, 2019. "Gender Assessment of Youth Business Groups: Female Participation and Characteristics," CLTS Working Papers 6/19, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies, revised 16 Oct 2019.
    15. Stein Holden & Klaus Deininger & Hosaena Ghebru, 2011. "Tenure Insecurity, Gender, Low-cost Land Certification and Land Rental Market Participation in Ethiopia," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(1), pages 31-47.
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    Cited by:

    1. Rampa, Alexis & Lovo, Stefania, 2023. "Revisiting the effects of the Ethiopian land tenure reform using satellite data. A focus on agricultural productivity, climate change mitigation and adaptation," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gender; land rights; land registration and certification; joint land certification; impacts; Ethiopia.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • K38 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Human Rights Law; Gender Law; Animal Rights Law
    • Q15 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment

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