Land Tenure Disputes and Resolution Mechanisms: Evidence from Peri-Urban and Nearby Rural Kebeles of Debre Markos Town, Ethiopia

Sayeh Kassaw Agegnehu, Tilahun Dires, Worku Nega and Reinfried Mansberger
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Sayeh Kassaw Agegnehu: Institute of Land Administration, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos 269, Ethiopia
Tilahun Dires: Institute of Land Administration, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos 269, Ethiopia
Worku Nega: Institute of Land Administration, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos 269, Ethiopia
Reinfried Mansberger: Institute of Geomatics, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, A-1190 Vienna, Austria

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 10, 1-22

Abstract: In Ethiopia, like in other developing countries, land disputes are critical problems both in peri-urban and rural areas. Handling such disputes requires scientific and evidence-based interventions. This study analyzes the nature, types, and causes of land tenure disputes and the resolution mechanisms thereof in peri-urban and nearby rural kebeles of Debre Markos town. Interviews for the investigation were conducted with sample landholders and concerned legal experts in Debre Markos town’s peri-urban area and Gozamin Wereda of Amhara National Regional State in Ethiopia. Compared to rural areas, the incidence of land tenure disputes is high in peri-urban areas. The land tenure disputes identified in the study areas are boundary trespassing disputes, landholding disputes, land rental disagreements, divorce-related land disputes, bequeath disputes, parcel exchange disputes, and land use-related disputes. The land tenure disputes are resolved mainly by formal means such as court litigations and administrative decisions, or by informal means known as alternative dispute resolution mechanisms (ADRMs). In both study areas, negotiation, mediation/conciliation, and arbitration are the most frequently employed ADRMs. In particular, mediation plays a significant role in resolving symmetrical land tenure disputes both in peri-urban and rural areas.

Keywords: dispute resolution; land dispute; land tenure; peri-urban (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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