Master thesis, Noragric.
Tone Fosse
This study is about migration and livelihoods in the context of a government development program, the resettlement program. As a response to the chronic food insecurity in the country, the Ethiopian state facilitates migration of small farmers from areas with land scarcity to areas with available land. The study was conducted in Tigray, one of four regions in Ethiopia that has implemented the program.
The overall aim of the study was to explore how state initiated migration is affecting people’s livelihoods. This was done by investigating the rationale behind the resettlement program, the planning process and how the program has been implemented. The study also assesses people’s livelihood strategies and access to assets in the resettlement area. Lastly, it assesses people’s perceptions of the resettlement program, both in the resettlement area and in the areas people move from, and the effects of migration on households.
It was found that the resettlement programs during the Derg regime have affected people’s perceptions of the new resettlement program. The policies of the new program are also designed to avoid the mistakes made during the Derg regime’s program. Migration initiated by the state was found to enable the poorest to move, the high costs associated with moving were eliminated. It is argued that the program is voluntary in nature, although the dichotomy voluntary/involuntary is seen as too narrow to explain the choices and constraints people face when deciding whether or not to migrate. Female headed households and men that were separated from the rest of their households were found to be more vulnerable to the harsh conditions in the resettlement area than nuclear and extended families were. In the resettlement area, water scarcity and lack of adequate health facilities were found to be serious problems.
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