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Structural land use dynamics and its implications on the local community’s access to land resources in Anger watershed, Southwestern Ethiopia

ABSTRACT We examined the micro-scale spatiotemporal dynamics in structural land use and its differential impacts on small-scale farmers’ access to land resources in Anger watershed, southwestern Ethiopia. The analysis of historical land use land cover change detections was integrated with data obtained from 335 households, group discussants, and interviews with experts and officials. The results revealed that agricultural land and settlements increased at the expense of other land covers. These conditions were severe in the kolla agroecology due to unique historical land-use dynamics mainly in late 1976+ and since 1988 which were associated with the state-farm and private investment respectively. The process affects small-scale farmers’ access to land and natural resources and contributed to differential livelihood adverse. The kolla community expressed land deal processes in the area negatively, labeled the investment activities as contrasting to investment initiatives of the country, and the conditions have been compromising their livelihood system. Thus, the issues of land resources rights of the local community and the state policy dynamics on the land investments, mainly referring to the livelihood systems in the kolla agroecology seek more attention. The development interventions such as the large-scale agricultural investments in the area need a prior policy and strategic planning on how to realize the sustainable co-existence among the large-scale investors, local community, and natural environment.