Browsing by Author "Agitew, Genanew"

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    Livelihood of Rural Households in Resettlement Areas: the Case Study from Quara Woreda of North Gondar Zone, Amhara Region
    (Addis Ababa University, 2011-05) Agitew, Genanew; Hassen, Ali (PhD)
    Resettlement is an increas ingly becoming attractive as a way of out of press ing problems caused by food shortage, land fragmentation, population pressure, rampant unemployment, marginality of land and dec line in land productivity. With the aim to investi gate the live lihoods of ru ra l househo ld and their strategies in resett lement area, the study was conducted using both quanti tati ve and quali tative approaches. Based on data generated fro m household survey, focus group discuss ion, key informant interview and observations, the study revealed that the area studi ed have experi enced higher population trends due to continuous and ongo ing resettlement program. The program has two edges, one with pos itive and enabling for better livelihood options and the other with negati ve and destructive side. As a result, the li ve lihood assets are ga ined, lost and shaped. From criti cal li ve lihood assets, social asset, whi ch is the most important li ve lihood asset of households is found to be the source of oth er livelihood assets and strengthened more by di ffe rent soc ial bonding mechani sms within and between host and settler community members. The ph ys ical asset of households in the area is very limited, while the natural assets are gett ing less and less and exacerbated due the resettlement program. The dominant on- fa rm livelihood activities of households in the study area are crop cultivation and animal production being major and minor, respecti ve ly. Households have experienced the change in the li velihood activities to use better opportunities for better li ve lihood options and to minimize the ri sks invol ved from constraining factors of resettlement program . The change in the livelihood acti vities of households is manifested in three ways: the change within the same livelihood activ ities, from subsistence to commercial; seasonal shi ft between diffe rent acti vities, on-farm du ring rai ny season and off-farm during dry season; and the complete shift h om one type of activity to the other, which is from on-farm to off-fa rm income generating. The result of assessment of food security situation indicated that settlers have shi fted from aid see king to household food se lf-sufficiency. In general, majority of households in the area have ensured household food sufficiency th roughout the year. However, considerable num be rs of households are still not atta ined household food sufficiency. Even though, most of households have ensured suffi ciency of household food throughout the year, transitory food insec urity, particu larly during the leafy stage of the crops is reported to occ ur in few households and it extends to better-off households during natural hazard s. Finally, thi s study recommended that resettlement programs should not be seen as panacea for all soc io-economic problems of households other than so lving short-term problems at the expense of natural resources and if it is to be durable and long-lasting development intervention, it has to ensure sustainabil ity of livelihood of household s. Key words: Resettlement, households, livelihood, assets, and f ood security