The Politics of Land Policy in Ethiopia and Agricultural Development

The present study was carried out to examine the early impact of the recent land tenure reforms in Ethiopia. The result of the analysis indicates that the poor household participation in the land registration and certification is robust and the process is pro-poor. The technical efficiency analysis indicated that there is efficiency gain as a result of land allocation through land rental market but it was constrained by the proclamation rules. The women empowerment index computed for the "with" and "without" a land reform situations indicates the overall women empowerment status has showed improvement "with" the land tenure reforms. The land tenure reform also stimulate investment in land conservation but failed to encourage tree planting significantly. The land tenure reform has achieved success in some aspects although it has failed to address the fundamental problems such limited land transfer right, constrained farmers mobility and steady diminution of holding. Generally the current land policy is challenged by the continuous decline of per capita land holding and the mounting of rural poverty.