Agricultural settlement schemes are a major development measure through which the redistribution of a country's population may be achieved. In Ethiopia planned resettlement is of relatively recent origin, having occurred only since the 1950s. The schemes which have been developed over the last 25 years have been undertaken for a variety of reasons and have had differing degrees of success. Sometimes considerable redistribution of population has resulted, but this has often been of a local nature though not without important economic, social, and political implications.

This paper considers two groups of formal planned settlement schemes which have been carried out in Ethiopia since 1958: those which occurred before the Revolution in 1974, and those which have been begun since that date. The contexts in which these settlement measures have been developed are discussed and the specific origins of the various projects considered. Their impact upon population redistribution is then evaluated. The paper is based upon investigation carried out in Ethiopia in 1973–74 and 1980. The major sources of information were documents in government and independent agencies concerned with resettlement, and discussions with personnel in these organizations. Where possible this information has been checked through field visits and discussions with independent sources.

The population context for agricultural settlement schemes

Ethiopia is the sixth largest state in Africa covering 1.2 million sq km and has the third largest population, over 32 million in 1980 (I.B.R.D., 1980: 134; P.R.B., 1980).