From Tractors to Draft Animals: Resettlement, Foreign Aid, and Change in Metekel. Ethiopia

Abstract

III Ethiopia. pial/li ed reJeulement prog rams are viewed as development re spmues
to poverty all d food illseclIrity. The Sll cceJs ive Ethiopiall reg imes ha ve been tryin g
to (l/Iract fo reig n aid to promote resefflemelll programs. III tf/ e mid 1980s, the
former milita ry gOl'emmelll sl/{x essjllUy mallaged to secllre aid from th e
gOI'e mmell t of 1!lI1)' to implell/ elll mlliti-sectoral deve!opmelll prog ram s in the
Metekel reseltlement area. However, tile Metekel reseulem em- c/I//I -developmelll
p roject faile d ill th e early 1990s. Witl! this i1l mind, I imelld 10 m ise and ans wer
two hasic quesliolls. First , resett lement failures worldwide (Ire explained at least
partl)' ill ierm s of inadequate fillancing. Thanks to th e I/(Ililln assi.~ /all ce, Ih e
Meteke! scheme was generollsly finan ced. Wh y thell didll " (h e ai d inrervelllioll
make (l diffaell ce ill term s of bringin g abollt Sil swinable chall ge? Secolld, ,11t!
IInexpected p roject fermilla(i oll adversely affected th e re sellierJ. flow did fh ey
reconstilllte tllei r li ve s allli move 0 11 after .mcl! (I major setiXl ck ?