Farm size and gender distribution of land: Evidence from Ethiopian land registry data

• Published in: World development Vol. 130; pp. 104926 - 16
• Main Authors: Holden, Stein T., Tilahun, Mesfin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2020; Pergamon Press Inc
• Subjects: Agronomy; Certificates; Certification; Cumulative distribution functions; Data; Distribution graphs; Districts; Ethiopia; Farm size; Farm size distribution; Farms; Female headed households; Females; Gender; Gender-disaggregated landholding; Gini coefficients; Graphs; Households; Land; Land registry data; Livelihood; Local government; Municipalities; Registration; Rural areas; Rural communities; Size of enterprise; Sustainable development; Welfare; Ethiopia; Gini coefficients; Cumulative distribution functions; Gender-disaggregated landholding; Land registry data; Farm size distribution; Ethiopia
• ISSN: 0305-750X; 1873-5991
• DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.104926

•The study uses land registry data from Tigray region of Ethiopia from 1998 and 2016.•Average farm size has declined from 1.15 to 0.90 ha over the time period.•The documented female landholding share is 48.8% in 2016.•The farm size per household Gini increased from 0.38 in 1998 to 0.50 in 2016.•The farm size per capita Gini increased from 0.42 in 1998 to 0.57 in 2016. Land is an essential asset for the livelihood and welfare of rural households in agriculture-based rural economies. This study utilizes land registry data from the First and Second Stage Land Registration (FSLR and SSLR) Reforms that took place in 1998 and 2016 in Tigray region of Ethiopia, the first region in Ethiopia to implement land registration and certification. Second Stage Land Registration and Certification (SSLR&C) provided households with parcel-based certificates with names of all holders. We assess the changes in farm sizes and gender distribution of land using mean and median sizes, Gini coefficients, and cumulative distribution graphs. The SSLR data facilitate detailed gender-disaggregated analysis after aggregating parcel data by gender to household level and categorizing households in male- and female-headed households. The data came from 11 municipalities in four districts, covering 78,700 parcels, a total area of about 30,000 ha, allocated to 31,150 households (SSLR). Average farm size declined from 1.15 to 0.90 ha and median farm size from 0.88 to 0.63 ha from 1998 to 2016. The Gini coefficient for land per capita increased from 0.42 in 1998 to 0.57 in 2016. The female landholding share for this land was as high as 48.8% in 2016. Compared to female-headed households, male-headed households had on average 27% and 35% more land per household in 1998 and 2016. The study demonstrates the relevance of land registry data for the monitoring of farm sizes and gender distribution of land and the findings are of relevance for the Sustainable Development Goal 1.4.