Protection of local land use rights in the process of large-scale agricultural land acquisition in Ethiopia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Land use rights are the basis for multidimensional aspects of the local people. In rural Ethiopia, the livelihood of the local people is strongly attached to land use rights. On the other hand, the government has been transferring or allocating huge tracts of land for large-scale agricultural investments through expropriation and the notion of free land doctrine. The role of rural land laws in the protection of local land use rights in the case of agricultural land acquisition has given little attention in research studies. The purpose of this article is to examine the contents of rural land laws in Ethiopia regarding the protection of local land use rights in the process of land acquisition for investment in agriculture. A doctrinal legal research method is employed to examine the protection of rural land use rights in the process of agricultural land acquisition. The author argues that rural land laws are weak in the protection of local land use rights in the process of land acquisition for investment in agriculture. The article recommends the need to have comprehensive and specific governing law that gives strong protection and guarantee for local land use rights in the process of agricultural investment land acquisition.