The Watershed Communal Land Management and Livelihood of Rural Households in Kilte Awlaelo Woreda, Tigray Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

While the degradation of natural resources has a substantial impact on the livelihood of farmers in rural areas, there is scant empirical evidence about livelihood status and benefits from communal resources, especially whether the benefits are equally distributed among local farmers. This study examines how the conservation of communal lands affects the food security status and the livelihood of the poor people in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. This paper employed both descriptive statistics and econometric analyses using the ordinary least square regression and quantile regression models. The food security status of rural households was found to be negatively associated with the direct use of natural resources generated on conserved communal lands. The study further affirms that households in the lower quantile harness more of the direct use of common property resources. However, households in the median and the upper quantiles tend to engage in the indirect use of resources generated on communal lands. These findings pose a critical policy implication regarding how to reconcile the trade-offs between the consequence of heavy dependence of the poor on the direct use of communal land-based resources and ensuring sustainable livelihood by allowing the poor to collect benefits from the conserved lands.