Rural Land Holding Readjustment in West Gojjam, Amhara Region

Abstract

Regardless of econolllic policy changes lIIade by the new Ethiopian
govel'l1l11el1f {owa·-ds market economy and pressure put on it from difJerent
SOI/rces, e_~pecia/ly /1'0111 donor agencies and international organizations like the
World Ban/.., rural land reilloined under state ownership. With such policy in
place, there is preoccupation with the possibilities of the recurrence of those
problems associated with the land tenure system of the Derg: diminution a/size of
holdings and jrlrln plots, tenure insecuri~y, land degradation, discouragement of
peasant Jl/Ol'ement outside agriculture, and others. There are indications, such as
land l'edistrihllfiol1 111m the new government has started doing the same as what
the Derg was doing in Ihe pa~·t ond what had been the major fea tures of the
Derg 's problell/nliG' land policies.
This paper examines the policy. 'implementation process and the results of the
1996 1'111'01 land holding l'eO(lj llstlllent CO/Tied ou[ by the Amhara Regional
Government in sOllie areas of the Amharn Region. particularly in West Gojjam.
Findings of [he S[II(!V sholl' [hal the policy could calise [hose problems of the land
tenure jystem of the Derg. It was also found that the policy was not in accordance
with the provisions of the Federal. Constitution. The reallotment of land was
prillla"i~v based em political considerations, and its implementation was highly
centralized, politicized and secretive. Contrm:y to offiCial pronouncements. the
evaluation of [he outcollles of the policy also sholYs that 'it did not achieve onyof
the classical political. social. and economic objectives of land reJo,.,,,. The paper
then concludes that the policy had pril1lm'i~y a political motive