The Nature of Land Tenure and Land Market In A Periurban Area

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Date

2002-06

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Addis Ababauniversity

Abstract

Conceptually, this study relates to the terms and conditions on which land is held and used and, the mechanisms by which rights to land are transferred in rural and urban interface area. The specific objective is to explore the major kinds and features of the land tenure and land markets operating in the periurban areas of Addis, the processes by which land held by indigenous peasant communities is transferred to urban groups, major characteristics of parlies transacting and factors governing the performance of the land tenure and land markets. The study also seeks to fill gap of understanding of the contradictions and frictions that exist at the interface of rural and urban. Broadly speaking two different forms of tenure prevailed in the study areas. These are peasant holder land tenure and the modern lease tenure. The lands of the study areas are rented to fellow peasants or sold to urban moneybags by the peasants and leased to modern private business/industrial men by government. With regard to the rental tenure the 'landlords ' (i.e renters) are the poor while the 'tenants ' (i.e rentees) are the betfer-offs among the peasant farmers themselves. Parallel to this, modern urban industrial!commercial investors are acquiring peri-urban lands by lease. This indicates that the system of land tenure in the peri-urban areas shows distinction between urban rich and rural inhabitants on the one hand, and between the rich and poor within the rural groups. Peri-urban area peasant holders have been victims of frequent land redistribution,. forced cooperetivasation, villagization, etc of the Derg time. Now they are victims of lease tenure. While the urban elites enjoy security of tenure for the number of years specified in the lease contracts the indigenous peasant appear temporary holders. With regard to the land markets, the peri-urban areas are characterized by intense urban and agricultural land transactions. The lands of the study areas are rented to fellow peasants or sold to urban moneybags by the peasants or leased to modern private businessmen by the government. Neither the peasant holders are capable to withstand the pressures of land markets, whether for their own poverty and/or manipulation of land speculators or the urban elite, neither the PA or above level leadership found withstanding their manipulation (bribery). While those in rural Ethiopia have, at least, the opportunity for being agricultural labour force or tenants to individuals who have purchased their plots or daily labourers on agricultural investment projects formally acquired their holdings, the impacted peri-urban communities haven1. They have neither the skill nor the training/education or experience required in modern non-agricultural developments emerging in their localities. The markets are segmented into urban and rural, rich and poor, male and female and, formal and informal markets. Unless the circumstance faced by the peri-urban area peasant communities is responsibly treated and the problems resolved not only their condition deteriorates but also mass eviction will be likely in the near future

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Keywords

Land Market In A Periurban Area

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