Tackling Land Fragmentation in Ethiopia
The Land Governance Project in Ethiopia is addressing one of the country’s most pressing agricultural challenges, land fragmentation. In Ethiopia, the average farming household cultivates less than a hectare of land, often split into several scattered parcels. This situation results in productivity losses, higher risks of border conflicts, and barriers to mechanization and infrastructure access.
Endeshaw Habte, Advisor in GIZ’s Land Governance Project, explains how the initiative works to tackle these issues. Key measures include:
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Introducing digital land registration to reduce disputes and increase security
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Testing different forms of land consolidation (voluntary, majority-based, and mandatory for large infrastructure projects)
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Developing legal frameworks to provide long-term security
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Building institutional capacity to implement reforms effectively
Endeshaw emphasizes that beyond the technical solutions, trust, transparency, and community consent are vital for success.
The video is available with subtitles in English, French, and Amharic by choosing under CC in the Youtube player-
🎥 Filmed at the marketplace session of the 2025 SNRD Africa Conference in Lusaka, Zambia.
Hyperlinked chapters in the video for your quick access:
00:00 Introduction & challenge of land fragmentation
01:23 Land consolidation as a management tool
02:14 Demographic pressure, inheritance & shrinking plots
03:03 Policy frameworks and legal reforms
04:18 Scale of the problem – farmers and landholdings
05:47 Economic losses, conflicts & need for registration
07:16 Community consent and approaches to land consolidation
09:01 Achievements, schemes & re-allotment of land
10:38 Obstacles: politics, law & institutional capacity
