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Does land registration and certification boost farm productivity? Evidence from Ethiopia
Author(s) -
Melesse Mequanint B.,
Bulte Erwin
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.29
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1574-0862
pISSN - 0169-5150
DOI - 10.1111/agec.12191
Subject(s) - productivity , certification , land registration , agricultural productivity , counterfactual thinking , agricultural economics , matching (statistics) , business , propensity score matching , investment (military) , land tenure , production (economics) , economics , agriculture , natural resource economics , public economics , economic growth , geography , microeconomics , politics , political science , law , philosophy , statistics , mathematics , management , archaeology , epistemology
According to economic theory, tenure security is an important determinant of agricultural investment and productivity. Land titling has been at the center stage of development efforts of many African countries to boost tenure security. We investigate the productivity impacts of the Ethiopian land registration and certification program, employing propensity score matching method in an effort to create a credible counterfactual. Consistent with theory, we find land registration and certification has robust positive effects on farm productivity. More tentatively, we identify the assurance effect as one probable channel for impact. Households with land certificates are more likely to adopt soil‐fertility management strategies on their plots than households without certificates.