Household Structure and Community Effects on Land Use Practices in Southern Ethiopia: Environmental Implications.

Drawing hypotheses from frameworks outlined in 'social capital' and 'household demographic differentiation and land use' theories, this paper explores land use practices in a socially diverse developing setting, the Southern region of Ethiopia. A sample of 1716 rural farm households show that the demographic lifecycle of the household and the set of social relations defining resource use differentiate households with respect to reported agricultural activities within a year. We found that as households age they are more likely to shift from annual crop production to more permanent or perennial agricultural activities and animal husbandry. Out-migration of household members from this rural region considerably increases the propensity to use land for perennial crops while rural in-migration reduces it. Community context measures including ethnic diversity, availability of common grazing land, forms of land acquisition, off-farm activities, community attitudes, and prior food shortage play a determining role in the households' livelihood. The study suggests that the environmental impact implied by the successful aging of the households and the forms of social capital that tie communities to their environments signify the need to give priority to household demography and community contexts in environmental protection efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]