Genesis of ELTAP
The frequent redistribution of rural land that took
place in the last three decades in Ethiopia had created
a great sense of land tenure insecurity leading farmers
to mine the land resource by cutting, but not planting
trees and not investing in soil and water conservation
practices. Scholars of rural development concluded
that such actions were contributing to degradation
of the rural landscape and declining farm productivity,
particularly in the Amhara and Tigray regions. Such
concern initiated a dialogue among major actors of
rural development in Ethiopia that led to an understanding
between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic
of Ethiopia (GoE) and the United States of America
Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2004
to assess land tenure security, land administration
land management and related issues to identify technical
elements and technical assistance needed to implement
a program of intervention aimed at increasing security
of tenure and rights to land. This assessment was
carried out in 2004 by ARD, INC. a US consulting firm,
using a team of Ethiopian and US land tenure and land
administration experts.
Subsequently, ARD, Inc. was requested by USAID/Ethiopia
to assist GoE in designing and implementing the Ethiopia-
Strengthening Land Tenure and Administration Program
(ELTAP) over a three year period 2005-2008.
ARD, Inc. is a consulting company with headquarters
in Burlington VT, USA. ARD, INC. helps countries respond
to a range of environmental, social and institutional
challenges. Its clients include the US Agency for
International Development (USAID) other governmental
agencies, multilateral development banks, the United
Nations and governmental bodies around the globe.
ARD, inc. offers planning, design, implementation
and applied research services in various categories,
including agriculture, governance and institutional
development, information knowledge management, infrastructure
and natural resource and environment.
ARD, Inc. Ethiopia is a branch of ARD, Inc. that
provides technical assistance to the Ethiopian government
to implement ELTAP that is designed to provide rural
Ethiopians with improved secure land tenure rights.
It works with counterpart experts from the Federal
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and
land administration agencies of the four regional
states of Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Tigray.
ELTAP Regional Approach
Although focusing ELTAP activities
in only two regions to avoid dilution of resources
and to ensure measurable impact was entertained, it
was agreed that ELTAP should be implemented in all
the four regional states of Amhara , Oromiya , SNNP
and Tigray that have commenced rural land registration
and certification. All four regional governments have
issued their own regional proclamations for land administration,
and all have concentrated initial activities on first
level registration and issuing of certificates
to land holders. Each region has different land size
per capita, soil productivity, and topography constraints
that will effect the pace and shape of the second
level land certification program and the benefits
derived there from.
First
level registration is recording of land holding by identifying
the neighboring land holders and estimated area as reported
by the land holder. Second level registration involves
recording the geographic coordinates of the parcel and
measuring the area with GPS equipment and issuing an
index map of the parcel.
ELTAP Objectives
The main Objective of the Ethiopia - Strengthening
Land Tenure and Administration program (ELTAP) is
to help the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) implement
a sound land certification system that provides rural
land holders robust and enforceable tenure security
in land and related natural resources.
Operation of ELTAP
Program Steering Committee (PSC): ELTAP has a program Steering Committee (PSC) that provides guidance in formulating work programs and budgets, program implementation and policy issues. The Minster of State, MoARD (for Natural Resources) chairs the PSC and .the ELTAP - PCU serves as its secretariat. Members of the PSC
- The Minster of State, MoARD (for Natural Resources),
Chairperson
- The Head, Forest , Land Use and Soil Conservation
Development Department, MoARD;
- The Team leader, Land Administration and land use
Division, MoARD;
- The Heads of the implementing agencies of the four
ELTAP focal regional states;
- The ELTAP cognizant Technical Officer USAID/Ethiopia
Mission;
- The Technical Manager of ELTAP, ARD, Inc. Vermont,
USA ;
- The Chief of Party (COP), ELTAP; and
- Co-opted members as decided by the PSC.
USAID and GoE Support to
ELTAP
USAID/Ethiopia Mission provides financial and technical support to the design and implementation of ELTAP. GoE‘s and regional states' contributions are the staff costs and operational expenditures budgeted annually for their land administration agencies.
