Role of Social Norms in Natural Resource Management: The Case of the Communal Land Distribution Program in Northern Ethiopia
The increasing population pressure in the rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa has caused land degradation as well as an increase in the number of landless farmers. To promote a conservation-oriented utilization of communal lands and increase the livelihood of poor farmers, the Ethiopian government int...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-01-01
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| Series: | Land |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/2/35 |
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| author | Shunji Oniki Melaku Berhe Teklay Negash |
| author_facet | Shunji Oniki Melaku Berhe Teklay Negash |
| author_sort | Shunji Oniki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The increasing population pressure in the rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa has caused land degradation as well as an increase in the number of landless farmers. To promote a conservation-oriented utilization of communal lands and increase the livelihood of poor farmers, the Ethiopian government introduced a program to distribute less-utilized communal lands to landless farmers. This study identified the social norms related to natural resource conservation that affect the participation in this program. Using data from 477 farmer households in northern Ethiopia, we estimated probit models with endogenous regressors for the determinants of social norms and their impacts on program participation. The results show that social norms related to conservation positively affect program participation. Regarding policy implication of the findings, an intervention to improve the social norms of local farmers leads to sustainable resource conservation without reducing intrinsic motivation of the local people. A conservation-oriented utilization of the communal lands would be more effective if the land distribution program was accompanied by other programs to improve the social norms in the villages. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T06:50:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8afc29602e524d8693281284516428c9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T06:50:08Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj.art-8afc29602e524d8693281284516428c92022-12-22T01:58:34ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2020-01-01923510.3390/land9020035land9020035Role of Social Norms in Natural Resource Management: The Case of the Communal Land Distribution Program in Northern EthiopiaShunji Oniki0Melaku Berhe1Teklay Negash2Social Sciences Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8686, JapanDepartment of Agricultural and Resource Economics, College of Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray Region, P.O. Box 231, EthiopiaDepartment of Agricultural and Resource Economics, College of Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray Region, P.O. Box 231, EthiopiaThe increasing population pressure in the rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa has caused land degradation as well as an increase in the number of landless farmers. To promote a conservation-oriented utilization of communal lands and increase the livelihood of poor farmers, the Ethiopian government introduced a program to distribute less-utilized communal lands to landless farmers. This study identified the social norms related to natural resource conservation that affect the participation in this program. Using data from 477 farmer households in northern Ethiopia, we estimated probit models with endogenous regressors for the determinants of social norms and their impacts on program participation. The results show that social norms related to conservation positively affect program participation. Regarding policy implication of the findings, an intervention to improve the social norms of local farmers leads to sustainable resource conservation without reducing intrinsic motivation of the local people. A conservation-oriented utilization of the communal lands would be more effective if the land distribution program was accompanied by other programs to improve the social norms in the villages.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/2/35natural resource managementnormscollective actionhillside distribution |
| spellingShingle | Shunji Oniki Melaku Berhe Teklay Negash Role of Social Norms in Natural Resource Management: The Case of the Communal Land Distribution Program in Northern Ethiopia Land natural resource management norms collective action hillside distribution |
| title | Role of Social Norms in Natural Resource Management: The Case of the Communal Land Distribution Program in Northern Ethiopia |
| title_full | Role of Social Norms in Natural Resource Management: The Case of the Communal Land Distribution Program in Northern Ethiopia |
| title_fullStr | Role of Social Norms in Natural Resource Management: The Case of the Communal Land Distribution Program in Northern Ethiopia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Role of Social Norms in Natural Resource Management: The Case of the Communal Land Distribution Program in Northern Ethiopia |
| title_short | Role of Social Norms in Natural Resource Management: The Case of the Communal Land Distribution Program in Northern Ethiopia |
| title_sort | role of social norms in natural resource management the case of the communal land distribution program in northern ethiopia |
| topic | natural resource management norms collective action hillside distribution |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/2/35 |
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