AGP Ethiopia - Social Assessment

AGP Ethiopia - Social Assessment

Table of Contents

Acronyms 5

1 Executive Summary 6

1.1 Objective of the Study 6

1.2 Methodology 6

1.3 Main Findings 6

1.3.1 Socio-Economic Profiles of AGP Regions, Woredas and Kebeles 6

1.3.2 Presence of Specific Vulnerable Groups 7

1.3.3 Summary Statement on Triggering World Bank Safeguard OP 4.10 7

1.3.4 Anticipated Positive AGP Impact 8

1.3.5 Anticipated Social Risks 8

1.3.6 Institutional Capacity at Woreda and Kebele Level 9

1.3.7 Summary Statement on Triggering World Bank Safeguard OP 4.11 11

1.4 Recommendations: Risk Mitigation Measures and Strategies 11

2 Assessment Scope and Methodology 14

2.1 Selection of Woredas, Kebeles and Target Groups 14

2.2 Applied Definition of Vulnerable Social Groups 15

3 Review of Data from Secondary Sources 16

3.1 Socio-Economic Profiles of the AGP Regions 16

3.1.1 Oromia National Regional State 17

3.1.2 Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Regional State 17

3.1.3 Tigray National Regional State 18

3.1.4 Amhara National Regional State 18

3.2 Socio-Economic Profiles of Visited AGP Woredas and Kebeles 19

3.2.1 Oromia Region 20

3.2.2 SNNPR 21

3.2.3 Amhara Region 22

3.2.4 Tigray Region 23

3.3 National Policies and Litterature Related to Vulnerable Groups 24

4 Main Findings 27

4.1 Introduction 27

4.2 Major Vulnerable Social Groups Identified 28

4.3 Presence of Specific Vulnerable Social Groups in AGP Woredas 29

4.3.1 Women and Girls 29

4.3.2 Youth 31

4.3.3 Children and Orphans 31

4.3.4 Elderly 31

4.3.5 Occupational Minorities 32

4.3.6 Tribal Minorities 33

4.3.7 Conflict-prone Households and Competition for Natural Resources 34

4.4 Summary Statement on Triggering World Bank Safeguard OP 4.10 35

4.5 Enabling Environment and Positive AGP Impacts on Vulnerable Groups 36

4.6 Anticipated Social Risks 38

4.6.1 Labor and Rural Employment Opportunities 38

4.6.2 Access to Farm Land 39

4.6.3 Conflict Prone Households 40

4.6.4 Social-Environmental Linkages 40

4.6.5 Social Capital and Informal Access to Finance 41

4.6.6 Formal Access to Finance 43

4.6.7 Non-Financial Services 43

4.7 Institutional Capacity at Woreda and Kebele Level 44

4.7.1 Gender Aspects of Kebele Level Institutional Capacities 45

4.7.2 Gap filling and Missing Skills 45

4.7.3 VSG Sensitive Cross-Sectoral Coordination 46

4.7.4 Access to Information for All 46

4.7.5 Monitoring Capacity 47

4.7.6 Local Level Actor Coordination and AGP Task Forces 47

5 Presence of Physical Cultural Resources 49

5.1 Summary Statement on Triggering World Bank Safeguard OP 4.11 50

6 Summary of Major Regional Variations and Similarities 51

7 Recommendations: Risk Mitigation Measures and Strategies 52

7.1 Conflict Resolution in Specific Locations 52

7.2 Addressing Land RentIssues 53

7.3 Facilitating Women and Girls Participation in AGP 53

7.4 Mitigating Effects of Customary Practices and HIV/AIDS 54

7.5 Broaden Access to Business Development Services 54

7.6 Broaden Access to Financial Services 55

7.7 Recognizing Social-Environmental Linkages 56

7.8 Physical Cultural Resources 56

7.9 AGP Sub-Project Appraisal and Screening 56

7.10 Review of Guiding AGP Documents 57

7.11 M&E of Vulnerable Social Groups and PCRs 58

7.12 Training and Information Needs at Woreda and Kebele Levels 59

Annexes 61

AGP Results Framework 61

Examples of Main Activities by Components 64

AGP Monitoring 65

Consequences of Polygamy 66

Women of Occupational Minorities: Double Marginalization and Cyclical Poverty Trap 67

Lists of People interviewed 68

Field Sample Selection Criteria and Scores 79

References 82

Acronyms

AGP Agriculture Growth Programme

BDS Business Development Service

BoFED Bureau of Finance and Economic Development

BoLSA Bureau of Labour and Social Affairs

BoYSSA Bureau of Youth, Sport and Social Affairs

CCC Community Care Coalition

CEFE Competency Enhancement for Entrepreneurs

CRC Child Right Committee

CSA Central Statistics Authority

ECEX Ethiopian Commodity Exchange

ESMF Environmental and Social Framework

FGD Focus Group Discussions

FHH Female Headed Household

GoE Government of Ethiopia

HEW Health Extension Worker

ILO International Labour Organization

MFI Micro-Finance Institution

MoARD Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

MoCT Ministry of Culture and Tourism

MoTI Ministry of Trade and Industry

MoWA Ministry of Women Affairs

MSE Micro and Small Enterprise

PANE Poverty Action Network

PASPEP Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty

PCU Project Coordination Unit

PIM Program Implementation Manual

PPM Participatory Planning Manual

SA Social Assessment

SARDP Sida-Amhara Rural Development Program

SIYB Start and Improve Your Business

VOCA Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance

VSG Vulnerable Social Group

WARD Woreda Agriculture and Rural Development

WYSSA Woreda Youth, Sport and Social Affairs

YSW Yem Special Woreda

1  Executive Summary

1.1  Objective of the Study

This study feeds into the preparation process for the Agriculture Growth Program. Its main objective is to assess in a consultative process if the proposed AGP activities are likely to trigger the World Bank safeguard policies OP 4.10 on indigenous people and OP 4.11 on physical cultural resources.

1.2  Methodology

This report presents findings from a desk review and extensive field visits to 4 AGP regions (Oromia, SNNPR, Amhara and Tigray) and 8 Woredas (Diga, Ambo and Dodola from Oromia; Wondogenet and Yem Special from SNNPR; Taqussa and S/Achefer from Amhara and Endamhoni from Tigray). At least one Kebele from each visited Woreda was comprehensively assessed.

An initial meeting of the SA team with the World Bank responsible officers and AGP Task Force members clarified the final scope of work. Additional meetings with the WB were held during study implementation and reporting. The SA team also met with the consultant team drafting then ESMF for coordination purposes. The representative sample Woredas and Kebeles were selected according to a range of parameters derived from OP 4.10 and OP 4.11 during the Inception Period.

Pre-designed checklists prepared during the Inception Period were used to collect socio-economic data and the Woreda’s profile. Half-day consultation workshops were conducted at every visited Woreda with diverse sector office representatives. Here briefings about AGP took place and anticipated positive impacts and social risks were identified, consolidated and discussed.

Consultation workshops with representatives from Kebele cabinet members, DAs and women representatives were held at Kebele level. Critical issues identified during Woreda and Kebele consultations were further assessed by using both pre-designed guide questions and triangulation methods using key informant interviews and focus group discussions with elders, women, occupational groups and youth.

The study was carried out between January and March 2010 by a team of three national and one international expert. They were assisted by field facilitators in the 4 regions.

1.3  Main Findings

1.3.1  Socio-Economic Profiles of AGP Regions, Woredas and Kebeles

Youth makes up 27-28% of the total population in AGP regions and in absolute figures, varies from 1.1 million in Tigray National Regional State to 7.5 million in Oromia. Studies indicate that more than 68% of youths are unpaid family workers, landless and without formal employment. The large majority of people engage in subsistence farming (88.6 % in Amhara, where 47% of youth is landless). Resettlement schemes are common.

In some Woredas in Tigray, average size of cultivated land plots is roughly 0.2 ha, which is even smaller than the regional average of 0.4 ha.

Children in all 4 regions make up 40 -50% of population on average. In Oromia Woredas, average household size can reach 8.5 people.

Land registration has taken place in all regions with between 50% (SNNPR) and 98% (Tigray) of HHs holding a first certificate. Conflicts around land use and ownership are increasing in all regions.

Agriculture investments have created substantial employment in all regions, especially in SNNPR.

HIV/AIDS has had a major impact especially on Amhara. Polygamy and early marriage is common.

The population size of the visited Woredas ranges from a low of 77,873 in Diga to 210,129 in Dodola. The share of FHHs in the total farm households varies more widely reaching between 11% (Diga) and 26% (Ambo).

1.3.2  Presence of Specific Vulnerable Groups

The SA team identified several social groups in AGP Woredas that are in a clearly disadvantaged or vulnerable position. They can be categorized as follows:

a)  Women and female headed households; categorically those women without access to farm land, female heads of households with little land and big family size including those with enough land but with shortage of labor and women in polygamous/early marriage with unclear property rights,

b)  Youth who are unemployed and landless,

c)  Orphaned children and children who become child family heads whose inheritance right is abused by their custodians, and

d)  Elderly people who may have enough land but lack a social support network and can not access labor.

Youth, children, orphans or elderly may have to be further gender disaggregated as specific proposed AGP activities may cause particularly negative impacts to either male of female members. Resource poor households are generally more vulnerable.

In few AGP Woredas researched, additional location specific AGP risk groups were identified:

a)  Farmers who depend on communal land that is given out to foreign investors in a situation of extreme land shortage,

b)  Small occupational minorities that still experience forms of discrimination,

c)  Small tribal minorities that still experience forms of discrimination,

d)  Conflict-prone farming households who are victims of administrative boundary conflicts or conflict with migrants over use of natural resources.

1.3.3  Summary Statement on Triggering World Bank Safeguard OP 4.10

In relation to the Bank’s safeguard policies, perceptions found in all visited Woredas show that the concept of ‘indigenous people’ could not be broadly applied even though a small number of distinct occupational and tribal minorities was identified.

F  World Bank safeguards according to OP 4.10 will not be triggered with exception of the Woieto along Laka Tana shore in Amhara and the Fuga of Yem Woreda in SNNPR and possibly groups with similar characteristics in not yet researched other AGP Woredas.

1.3.4  Anticipated Positive AGP Impact

There are ample opportunities for the success of AGP as the designed components are theoretically compatible even with needs and resources of vulnerable social groups.

Demand and improved market prices for agricultural products encourage use of improved technologies and contract farming arrangements. Access to market information is enhanced and mobile phones are widely used. Woreda institutions do their best to organize different social groups, especially landless youth, in agriculture production and marketing activities. AGP can build on the many existing self-initiated and organized groups. Various dam projects createopportunites for irrigation agriculture. ‘Growth corridors’ will benefit many AGP Woredas.

New initiatives like the Community Care Coalition in Tigray support orphans, elders and disabled groups by mobilizing resources from different organizations in the Kebele and the community at large. Child Rights Committees monitor and protect the rights of children in all Woredas.

1.3.5  Anticipated Social Risks

Labor and Rural Employment Opportunities

In cereal surplus producing Woredas, the use of farm machinery such as combine harvesters has limited the absorption of the huge surplus labor and landless now exploit even closed forest areas for immediate income needs. If promotion of mechanized commercial farming under AGP proves to actually reduce employment, the program definitely will have to address this issue.

In almost all Woredas, better-off households, those who diversify and small size FHHs are compelled to use cheap child labor. There is a risk that AGP actually encourages an increase in utilizing child labor in agricultural commodity chain activities.

Access to Farm Land

The SA team findings confirm other studies that suggest that many critical social issues can be directly or indirectly linked to unresolved land issues. For AGP one cannot think of sustained agricultural growth without strengthening tenure security. Access to farm land for the youth is a most critical issue.

Existing informal land contracting arrangements are found to function without backing from land policies but numbers of conflicts are rising and hinder participation of landless youth in agricultural growth activities. In some places elders posses ten hectare or more of farm land. Many either don’t have access to family labor or are challenged by family members to divide their land. Where polygamous marriage is common female land holding is discouraged.

Conflict Prone Households

Households living in conflict-prone localities and in capital intensive private commercial farm areas may require specific attention to be able to participate in AGP. Suddenly restricted access to grazing land, water and forest resources have resulted in stiff competition among communities that is not always resolved peacefully. If AGP aggravates such conflicts directly or indirectly, the program must also offers solutions for transparent conflict prevention and mitigation.

Social-Environmental Linkages

Environmental degradation is likely to hit those hardest that are already disadvantaged. Traditionally, specific natural resources are utilised in a rural community primarily by specific groups and according to gender and age for either domestic or productive use. AGP Component 1 and 2 may change existing patterns in VSGs access to natural resources.

Current and anticipated climate change impacts must be considered for choice of crops and production systems, training modules, size and allocation of infrastructure projects etc..Not considering it could increase costs of interventions, as well as vulnerability with erratic weather patterns affecting e.g. food security. AGP Component 1 aims at increasing agricultural productivity. ‘One-season’ commercial cash crop farming by outsiders does little to improve soil fertility. If resource poor HHs are to become part of AGP, the use of compost is a preferable choice, as it increases resilience when HHs do not have cash for purchase of synthetic fertilizers.

Social Capital, Informal and Formal Access to Finance

Self-initiated social organizations, with various local names are solidarity groups whose cohesiveness goes beyond serving the economic needs of members. Even male and female youth participate in them. Rural saving and credit cooperatives are emerging as strong financial intermediaries that also include women.

Government established and supported groups often have a relatively large membership, but people interviewed in all four regions agreed that these ‘organized’ groups often lack truly motivated members and are more easily disbanded than traditional groups.