Options for updating land record : the case of Amhara region
Tiruneh, Bayeh & Tenaw Hailu
The Amhara region is the second largest state in the country. It covers an area of 170,752 km (11% of Ethiopiaas total area) in the northern, northeastern and central parts of Ethiopia. The region is divided into ten administrative zones, 106 rural and nine urban Weredas and 2,902 rural kebeles. The Amhara region has a varied ecological zonation. This makes the region a source of diversified agriculture in the region. A large part of the population lives in highland areas. The central and western zones of the region are among the countryys highly productive agricultural areas. In its northeastern and central highland areas, the Amhara region suffers serious land degradation and recurrent drought. The nature of the soil and the landscape, combined with factors such as a long history of settlement, prevailing agricultural practices, and increasing population pressure force people to cultivate even steeper slopes, and exacerbate the land degradation. Lack of tenure security is thought to have aggravated land degradation as it discourages farmers to invest in prevention of soil erosion (Naznen 2005). Making land rights more secure is a precondition for land-related investment; however, unless rights are transferable, both the magnitude and incidence of such benefits may be limited. Land transaction can play an important role by: a) providing land access to those who are productive, but who have little land; b) Allowing the exchange of land as the off-farm economy develops; and c) facilitating the use of land as collateral to access credit market where the condition for doing so exists. The ability to transfer land also increases the incentive to undertake land-related investment. The opportunity for right transfer will be important in many settings.
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