Access to land in Ethiopia is becoming more challenging for young people who are less likely than their parents' generation to access land independently.
In this article, Dr Tsegaye Moreda explores whether and how land is accessed and the implicatoins of this for rural youth.
Based on fieldwork in Ethiopia, Moreda explores whether and how land is accessed, especially by the rural youth, under the prevailing context of narrowing access to land and the implications of this for rural migration.
He demonstrates that young people are less likely than their parents’ generation to be able to access land independently, suggesting generational patterns of differentiation around land access and livelihood trajectory.
As a result, young people are increasingly engaging in labour migration to find work elsewhere. Employment opportunities are, however, limited and unevenly distributed. He argues that policymakers should be concerned with include improving rural youth’s access to farmland and employment opportunities. This point is particularly relevant in light of the government's recent drive to facilitate the acquisition of large expanses of farmland in various areas of the country by large investors and local elites.
Read the full article online - 'The social dynamics of access to land, livelihoods and the rural youth in an era of rapid social change: Evidence from Ethiopia'. Land Use Policy, May 2023.
- Assistant professor
- Related links
- Commodity & land rushes and regimes research project
