Urban Development• Induced Displacement: Prospects And Challenges of Real Estate Development on the Livelihoods of Rural Communities. The Case of Lega

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Date

2009-06

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

In the last few decades, the Ethiopian urban centers have experienced very fast rates of urban growth. This rapid urbanization has resulted in the horizontal expansion of these centers towards rural areas. This expansion is at the expense of prime agricultural lands and has affected the livelihoods of farming communities dwelling in the urban fringes. Communities and individual households have been displaced from their lands to give way for economic development interventions. The main objective of the study is thus to assess the major prospects and challenges that the development of real estates has on rural livelihoods. A structured questionnaire was prepared and eighty household heads were randomly selected from the displaced households and filled the questionnaires. Moreover, data was also collected through focus group discussions and key person interviews. The findings of the study showed that the participation of the community in the planning and implementation of the program was negligible. Moreover, the household vulnerability of the affected households had increased after their displacement. The establishment of the real estate a/so mainly negatively affected the livelihoods of the households as reductions occurred in their access to land and number of livestock possessed. Meanwhile, the real estate also contributed to the betterment of the people 's livelihoods as it created employment opportunities and increased their access to basic infrastructure. Different livelihood strategies were employed by the displaced households to cope with the changes in their livelihoods. Capacity building, skill trainings, micro-credit services and helping the community to build their own houses were also identified as areas in which development actors can intervene to support the affected households.

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Urban Development

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