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Links between Tenure Security and Food Security: Evidence from Ethiopia

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  • Ghebru, Hosaena

    (International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC)

  • Holden, Stein

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

Abstract

The study uses five rounds of household panel data from Tigray, Ethiopia, collected in the period 1998–2010 to assess the impacts of a land registration and certification program that aimed to strengthen tenure security and how it has contributed to increased food availability and thus food security in this food-deficit region. Our first survey took place just a year before the intervention (the land certification program). Our panel data in combination with the “years of certificate ownership” variable allow us to assess the dynamic impacts on food (calorie) availability of strengthened tenure security. Anthropometric data also allow us to assess potential child nutrition impacts of the reform 8-12 years after its implementation. Results show that land certification appears to have contributed to enhanced calorie availability (calorie intake), and more so for female-headed households, either through enhanced land rental market participation or increased investment and productivity on owner-operated land. Results also show that members of households that accessed additional land through the land rental market had a significantly higher body mass index. Though results show that land rental market participation is enhancing production efficiency, high transaction costs in that market suggest there are still unrealized gains from trade. Thus, the recent restrictive regional land law that allows for only short-term rental contracts and does not allow more than 50 percent of land to be rented out may threaten future tenure security and may undermine the benefits from the existing tenure reform.

Suggested Citation

  • Ghebru, Hosaena & Holden, Stein, 2013. "Links between Tenure Security and Food Security: Evidence from Ethiopia," CLTS Working Papers 2/13, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies, revised 10 Oct 2019.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:nlsclt:2013_002
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    1. William Nkomoki & Miroslava Bavorová & Jan Banout, 2019. "Factors Associated with Household Food Security in Zambia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-18, May.
    2. Brhanu , Desta & Holden , Stein T., 2018. "Variation in Output Shares and Endogenous Matching in Land Rental Contracts," CLTS Working Papers 2/18, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies, revised 16 Oct 2019.
    3. Holden, Stein T. & Otsuka, Keijiro, 2014. "The roles of land tenure reforms and land markets in the context of population growth and land use intensification in Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 88-97.
    4. Meinzen-Dick, Ruth & Quisumbing, Agnes & Doss, Cheryl & Theis, Sophie, 2019. "Women's land rights as a pathway to poverty reduction: Framework and review of available evidence," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 72-82.
    5. Bienvenu Dagoudo Akowedaho & Inoussa Guinin Asso & Bruno Charles Pierre O’heix & Soulé Akinhola Adéchian & Mohamed Nasser Baco, 2022. "Access to Land for Agricultural Entrepreneurial Activities in the Context of Sustainable Food Production in Borgou, according to Land Law in Benin," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-16, August.
    6. Meinzen-Dick, Ruth Suseela & Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Doss, Cheryl R. & Theis, Sophie, 2017. "Women’s land rights as a pathway to poverty reduction: A framework and review of available evidence," IFPRI discussion papers 1663, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    7. Holden, Stein T. & Ali, Daniel & Deininger, Klaus & Hilhorst, Thea, 2016. "A Land Tenure Module for LSMS," CLTS Working Papers 1/16, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies, revised 16 Oct 2019.
    8. Holden, Stein & Bezu, Sosina, 2013. "Joint Land Certification and Intra-household Decision-making:Towards Empowerment of Wives?," CLTS Working Papers 14/13, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies, revised 10 Oct 2019.
    9. Mehretie Belay & Assefa Abegaz & Woldeamlak Bewket, 2017. "Livelihood options of landless households and land contracts in north-west Ethiopia," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 141-164, February.
    10. 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).
    11. 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.
    12. Holden, Stein T,, 2017. "Policies for Improved Food Security: - The Roles of Land Tenure Policies and Land Markets," CLTS Working Papers 9/17, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies, revised 21 Oct 2019.
    13. Holden, Stein & Bezu, Sosina, 2014. "Joint Land Certification, Gendered Preferences, and Land-related Decisions: Are Wives Getting More Involved?," CLTS Working Papers 6/14, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies, revised 10 Oct 2019.
    14. Ghebru, Hosaena & Koru, Bethlehem & Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum, 2016. "Household perception and demand for better protection of land rights in Ethiopia:," ESSP working papers 83, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    15. Adamie, Birhanu Addisu, 2021. "Land property rights and household take-up of development programs: Evidence from land certification program in Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    16. Bezu, Sosina & Holden, Stein, 2013. "Unbundling Land Administrative Reform: Demand for Second Stage Land Certification in Ethiopia," CLTS Working Papers 3/13, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies, revised 10 Oct 2019.
    17. Bachewe, Fantu Nisrane & Berhane, Guush & Minten, Bart & Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum, 2015. "Agricultural growth in Ethiopia (2004-2014): Evidence and drivers:," ESSP working papers 81, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    18. Holden, Stein T. & Tilahun, Mesfin, 2017. "Land Distribution in Northern Ethiopia from 1998 to 2016: Gender-disaggregated, Spatial and Intertemporal Variation," CLTS Working Papers 3/17, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies, revised 21 Oct 2019.
    19. Teshome Beyene Leta & Arega Bazezew Berlie & Mehrete Belay Ferede, 2021. "Effects of the current land tenure on augmenting household farmland access in South East Ethiopia," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-11, December.
    20. Ibrahim, Kobe H. & Hendriks, Sheryl L. & Schönfeldt, Hettie, 2022. "The effect of smallholder land tenure on child malnutrition in Nigeria," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    21. Ayelech Kidie Mengesha & Thomas Bauer & Doris Damyanovic & Sayeh Kassaw Agegnehu & Reinfried Mansberger & Gernot Stoeglehner, 2022. "Gender Analysis of Landholding and Situation of Female-Headed Households after Land Registration: The Case of Machakel Woreda," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-28, July.
    22. 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.
    23. Bachewe, Fantu N. & Berhane, Guush & Minten, Bart & Taffesse, Alemayehu S., 2018. "Agricultural Transformation in Africa? Assessing the Evidence in Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 286-298.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Tenure security; land certification; food security; calorie availability; nutritional status; land rental market participation.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • 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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