IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hhs/nlsclt/2017_003.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Land Distribution in Northern Ethiopia from 1998 to 2016: Gender-disaggregated, Spatial and Intertemporal Variation

Author

Listed:
  • Holden, Stein T.

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

  • Tilahun, Mesfin

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

Abstract

This study utilizes land registry data from the First and Second Stage Land Registration Reforms that took place in 1998 and 2016 in sampled districts and communities in Tigray region of Ethiopia. Tigray was the first region to implement low-cost land registration and certification in Ethiopia and providing household level land certificates in the names of household heads. Second Stage Land Registration and Certification (SSLRC) is scaled up since 2015 and provides households with parcel-based certificates with maps. The SSLR&C lists all holders of parcels by name and gender. We utilize the SSLR data for detailed genderdisaggregated analysis after aggregating parcel data by gender to household level and categorizing households in male- and female-headed households. Data from 11 municipalities (tabias) in four districts (woredas) are utilized. This covers 78700 parcels in the SSLR database allocated to 31500 households. Various statistical measures, including graphical tools, are used to assess the gender-disaggregated, spatial and intertemporal variation in land distribution. The comparison of First Stage Land Registry (FSLR) data with SSLR data facilitates critical assessment of the quality of the FSLR data as well as an assessment of changes in farm size distribution over the 18 years period. We find from the total sample of SSLR data, which represents an area of 30000 ha, that the female ownership share for this land is as high as 48.8% and indicates a considerably lower skewness in the distribution between men and women than we had hypothesized. The Gini-coefficient for land distribution among women is lower than that among men (0.45 versus 0.57). The share of male-headed households with no female landowners varied from 25 to 60% across communities. Male-headed households have on average 34% more land than female-headed households but this difference was reduced to less than 10% in terms of land per capita (after correcting for differences in family size between male-headed and female-headed households). There is a clear trend towards smaller farm sizes from the FSLR in 1998 to the SSLR in 2016. The share of farms below one ha varies from 0.50 to 0.90 across communities in the SSLR data.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:nlsclt:2017_003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nmbu.no/download/file/fid/40501
    File Function: Full text
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    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. Ghebru, Hosaena & Holden, Stein T., 2015. "Technical Efficiency and Productivity Differential Effects of Land Right Certification: A Quasi-Experimental Evidence," Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, Humboldt-Universitaat zu Berlin, vol. 54(1), pages 1-31, February.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. Carletto, Calogero & Savastano, Sara & Zezza, Alberto, 2013. "Fact or artifact: The impact of measurement errors on the farm size–productivity relationship," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 254-261.
    6. Klaus Deininger & Daniel Ayalew Ali & Tekie Alemu, 2011. "Impacts of Land Certification on Tenure Security, Investment, and Land Market Participation: Evidence from Ethiopia," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 87(2), pages 312-334.
    7. Carmen Diana Deere & Cheryl Doss, 2006. "The Gender Asset Gap: What Do We Know And Why Does It Matter?," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(1-2), pages 1-50.
    8. Cheryl Doss & Chiara Kovarik & Amber Peterman & Agnes Quisumbing & Mara Bold, 2015. "Gender inequalities in ownership and control of land in Africa: myth and reality," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 46(3), pages 403-434, May.
    9. 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.
    10. Cheryl R Doss & Carmen Diana Deere & Abena D Oduro & Hema Swaminathan, 2014. "The Gender Asset and Wealth Gaps," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 57(3-4), pages 400-409, December.
    11. 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.
    12. 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.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. 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).
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. 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).
    6. 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.
    7. Ayalew, Hailemariam & Admasu, Yeshwas & Chamberlin, Jordan, 2021. "Is land certification pro-poor? Evidence from Ethiopia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    8. Haddis Solomon & Yoko Kijima, 2022. "Does Land Certification Mitigate the Negative Impact of Weather Shocks? Evidence from Rural Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-17, October.
    9. 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.
    10. 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).
    11. 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.
    12. 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.
    13. World Bank, 2017. "Ethiopia Country Environmental Analysis," World Bank Publications - Reports 33947, The World Bank Group.
    14. Shunji Oniki & Melaku Berhe & Teklay Negash, 2020. "Role of Social Norms in Natural Resource Management: The Case of the Communal Land Distribution Program in Northern Ethiopia," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-17, January.
    15. Gebrehiwot, D. & Holden, S.T., 2018. "Variation in output shares and endogenous matching in land rental contracts," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277362, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    16. 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.
    17. Komatsu, Hitomi & Ambel, Alemayehu A. & Koolwal, Gayatri & Yonis, Manex Bule, 2022. "Gender norms, landholdership, and rural land use fee and agricultural income tax in Ethiopia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    18. 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).
    19. Koolwal, Gayatri & Komatsu, Hitomi & Ambel, Alemayehu & Yonis, Manex Bule, 2021. "Gender and Tax Incidence of Rural Land Use Fee and Agricultural Income Tax in Ethiopia," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315357, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    20. Shibeshi, Gebeyehu Belay & Fuchs, Helmut & Mansberger, Reinfried, 2015. "Lessons from Systematic Evaluation of Land Administration Systems. The Case of Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 282-295.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    land registry data; farm size distribution; gender-disaggregated land ownership; cumulative distribution functions; land fragmentation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q15 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hhs:nlsclt:2017_003. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sarah Ephrida Tione (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ioumbno.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.