Women’s land rights: Customary rules and formal laws in the pastoral areas of Ethiopia – complementary or in conflict?

July 2021
Abebaw Abebe Belay and Fiona Flintan (CGIAR)

The paper aims to understand what land rights women have under formal and customary legal systems in pastoral areas in Ethiopia, how these are implemented and what their impact is, and to make recommendations for their convergence. It focuses on two pastoral regions: Afar and Oromia national regional states. The research revealed that there is a high disparity between what the law says and what is being practiced on the ground as far as women’s land rights in pastoral areas are concerned. Recommends a promulgation/enactment of pastoral land administration laws and consideration of their acknowledgment and incorporation of customary and religious (informal) laws.