Socio-economic contributions of the Ethiopian Green Legacy Initiative as a pathway to sustainable development: Systematic Review

Ethiopia faces interconnected challenges of land degradation, climate change, and rural poverty. In response, the government launched the Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) in 2019, a nationwide afforestation and reforestation program aimed at planting billions of seedlings annually. Despite its ecological benefits, the initiative has generated substantial, yet often overlooked, socio-economic benefits that are critical to its long-term sustainability and contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This systematic review, therefore, aimed to identify the socio-economic benefits of the GLI and its role as a pathway to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Relevant literature was sourced from Scopus, Web of Science, and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), using the keywords “Green Legacy, Initiative, benefits, and Sustainable Development (SD).” The review included studies published between 2019 and 2025 that reported on the socio-economic outcomes of the GLI. The results indicated that livelihood diversification, community empowerment, and improved food security and human well-being were the major socio-economic associations reported. The initiative is associated with significant potential to advance sustainable development in Ethiopia by linking ecological restoration with socio-economic improvement. However, significant challenges remain: seedling survival (averaging 76.50% across districts), 65% of GLI employment being temporary, and socioeconomic data missing for 70% of Woredas. Realizing the full potential of this initiative requires integrated policies that strengthen rural markets, ensure inclusive participation, and establish long-term monitoring of both benefits and limitations.