The Impact of Urban Expansion on Tenure Security and

Livelihoods of Peri-Urban Areas: The Case of Wolaita

Soddo Town, Southern Ethiopia
Zerihun Lemma Shanka
Email address:
[email protected]

To cite this article:

Zerihun Lemma Shanka. The Impact of Urban Expansion on Tenure Security and Livelihoods of Peri-Urban Areas: The Case of Wolaita
Soddo Town, Southern Ethiopia.

Abstract: This study is carried out to assess the impact of urban expansion on tenure security and l of peri-urban areas.
Tenure insecurity due to urban expansion is more significant in the developing countries than the developed countries in the
urban fringe. Ethiopia have created mounting competition for peri-urban land located adjacent to towns and cities by people of
diverse backgrounds. As a result of these; pressures and rapid socio-economic problems has been occurred. Therefore, this
paper is aimed to assess the impacts of urban expansion on tenure security on the communities around Wolaita soddo town.
Descriptive research designs as well a qualitative and quantitative research approaches were employed. Both probability and
non-probability sampling method were used to get potential respondents and sample size was determined using sampling
distribution of proportion method, hence 120 HHs were selected (85% (102) male and 15% (18) female HHs). Based on
collected data the analysis was done using software like SPSS and Microsoft Excel and data were presented by different data
presentation tools like tables and graphs. The results from the study revealed that the expansion of Wolaita Soddo town has
presented constraints and opportunities to people living in peri-urban areas. About 94 percent household responded as there is
tenure insecurity. Due to having insecurity in their farm, there income from farm has decreased. Similarly, the study revealed
us, because of town expansion peri-urban community, felt under malti-faceted livelihood problems; like loss of assets due to
periodic land displacement, reduction farm land and under a great fear.

Keywords: Livelihoods, Tenure Security, Urban Expansion, Impacts and Farmers, Perception, Urban and Peri-urban Areas

1. Introduction developmental activities per year and among those displaced,

6 million are attributed to urban expansion. Although
1.1. Back Ground of the Study multifaceted, the main cause of urban expansion is
Urbanization is the process of urban expansion, may population pressure. The increase in African population is
involve both horizontal and vertical expansion of the physical surprising. However, more surprisingly, their urban growth
structure of urban areas. It leads to spatial expansion due to rate is higher than the growth rate of national population in
the demand for development and housing growth, as well as almost all countries of the continent. Among other factors
facilities areas to serve human life. The process of urban like peri-industrialization, informal settlement, infrastructural
expansion is a worldwide phenomenon, recorded in the development; the population pressure, as (Birhanu, 2005)
history of all urban centers (Firew, 2010). It started with the argues, caused horizontal expansion of African cities.
earliest human civilization of Babylonians’ (Cemea, 1997). The unprecedented growth of the urban population in
Over the world, the cities cover only about one percent of the Africa and other parts of the developing world is causing an
earth’s surface, but most of the issues happening in the cities exceptionally rapid increase in the demand for urban land.
greatly impact on the environment and global change (Tran The horizontal expansion of cities are, however, at the
Thi Van, 2008). In addition to that urbanization can result in expense of prime agricultural lands and agricultural
loss of agricultural land, natural beauties, range lands, parks productivity which of both are the main livelihoods of
and sceneries (Minwuyelet, 2004). peripheral communities.
For case in point, urban centers of countries like England Urbanization and urban growth are considered as a modern
and USA expanded horizontally with loss of agricultural way of life manifesting economic growth and development.
land. Impacts of horizontal urban expansion include not only However, urbanization and urban development in Ethiopia
the loss of agricultural land but also displacement of peasants faced a number of socio-economic problems (Tegenge,2000).
and change of their livelihood. According to (Cemea, 1997), According to (Eyasu, 2007) the Ethiopian urban centers are
10 million peoples were displaced globally because of expanding in unexpected rate and resulting to peasant
2 Zerihun Lemma Shanka: The Impact of Urban Expansion on Tenure Security and Livelihoods of
Peri-Urban Areas: The Case of Wolaita Soddo Town, Southern Ethiopia
displacement with concomitant loss of agricultural land, loss temperature records, places the town on the border between
of agricultural production and change of their livelihood. the temperate and tropical climate zones. The maximum and
Wolaita Soddo town is one of the fast growing urban minimum temperature records are reported to be 27.2 0c and
centers in the SNNPRS. This ongoing expansion process 7.50c respectively. The mean monthly temperature is 20ºc and
captures the views of peri-urban farmers who forced to leave the mean annual rainfall is 1212mm (NMA, 2009).
their rooted land and property. Therefore, the effect of this Location of Study Areas
process of urban expansion on the surrounding farming
communityneeds to be clearly known in order to reduce the
negative effect. Hence, the expansion of the town becoming
irregular, fast and creation of tenure insecurity and
displacement of farming community. So this study analysis
socio-economic problems related with land tenure security
and livelihood situation of peri-urban community of Wolaita
soddo town.

3. Research Methodology
3.1. Description of the Study Area

Wolaita Soddo town is one of the fast urbanized town in

the center of Southern Ethiopia which situated in SNNPRS.
The absolute location of the town is 6 054'N latitude and
37045'E longitude. Relatively, the Wolaita soddo town is
located west of the Great Ethiopian Rift Valley and at the
eastern margin of the South Western Highlands
Source: My own computation (2017)
(WZFEDD,2010). Wolaita Soddo town is 390 km (via
Shashemene) and 328 km (via Hosanna) away from the Figure 1. Map of the study area.
national capital Addis Ababa, and 170 km from the regional
capital Hawasa. It is the administrative center for Wolaita 3.2 Conceptual Frame Work of This Study
Zone and has three sub cities and 20 Kebeles with including Urban expansion is Multi-directional and dynamic aspect.
recently joined rural Kebeles. This is due to the pact that it’s causes and consequences are
According to national population and housing census varying across continents, countries even within a given
carried out in(CSA,2007),the population of town were country. In this chapter urban expansion and its trends are
76050.The annual population growth is 4.8%. Based on the dealt with details. In addition from related literature,
2007 the national and housing census, in 2016 the projected causes,forms and consequences of urban expansion are
population of the town is 115970 and in 2018 will reach reviewed and incorporated in this review related literature
127397(Wolaita zoneFEDD, 2017) projection. The total area dealing with over view of Rural-Urban Linkages (RUL) in
of the town is about 3,204 hectare. The location map of general context of Ethiopia in particular.
Wolaita Soddo town is indicated in figure 1. Wolaita Soddo
town has got its master plan in1967EC during the end of
emperial regime, in 1974 EC during the derg regime, then in
1987 by EPDR government and lastly the recent master plan
of the town was prepared in 2007 E.C by regional urban plan
institute and the town is also one of economically significant
towns of the regional state. Soddo town is serving as a
junction point of six major roads, networking it with different
part of country and surrounding worada's thus making it
center of business. According to (Wolaita soddo
municipality,2016), the major economic activities in the town
are micro and small scale industries, hotels and other
services, whole sales, retails, flourmills, cloth making
(weaving) and urban agriculture.
The topography of Wolaita Soddo town is mainly
characterized by mountains steep, gorges and plain land Source Constructed by researcher (2017)
especially towards southern part. The town is established at Figure 2. Schematic diagram of urban expansion.
the foot of mountain ‘Damota’, the highest mountain in the
area. The lowest and highest altitude of the town ranges from 3.3. Research Design
1800 m to 2100m above sea level. The average elevation of
In this research, the descriptive research design was
the surrounding area, together with the precipitation and
 3

employed to make intensive investigation of the impact of under tenure insecurity due to town growth toward their
the urban expansion on the tenure security and livelihood of vicinity and which means most people in local peri-urban
peri-urban community. Hence, to maintain triangulation in its communities are uncertain about how long their land will
findings, the design manifested the basic features of both the remain theirs.
qualitative and quantitative researches. Both probability and
non-probability sampling method were used to get potential
respondents and sample size was determined using sampling
distribution of proportion method, hence 120 HHs were
selected (85% (102) male and 15% (18) female HHs). Based
on collected data the analysis was done using software like
SPSS and Microsoft Excel and data were presented by
different data presentation tools like tables and graphs.

4. Result and Discussions

4.1. Impacts of Urban Expansion on Tenure Security Source; household survey (2017)
Figure 2. Tenure security level of peri-urban farmers in the study area
The nature and strength of property rights are a pre-
(n=120).
condition for economic decision making. This is because it
has significant effects on people’s expectation in investment 4.2. Impacts of Urban Expansion on Livelihoods of
of labor and capital. Various evidences shown that secure Peri-urban Community
property rights, particularly appropriate land tenure security
is linked with higher propensity to invest in tree planting 4.2.1. Impacts of Urban Expansion on Farmers’ Financial
manuring soil and water conservation and other 'permanent’ Capital
improvements. A. Before Expansion
Conversely, insecure tenure is associated with the rapid To assess a household’s financial capital as one of the
destruction of natural resources and land degradation. Hence, livelihood element, an average annual income these
pursuing appropriate land tenure system has a great households used to earn before urban expansion and are
importance in increasing the productivity that accrues from earning currently and the household’s average number of
the land resources (ibid). However, transformation of livestock before and currently, which was in the form of
agricultural land for housing and urban development in peri- savings, had been assessed.
urban and urban areas creates upward pressures on the land Accordingly, the following analysis has been made on
values and rising insecurity for those who depends their each of them. Before expansion of town area over there, as
livelihood on the farm land (ECA,2006). Specially after figure 5 below shown us, these households used to earn an
2000E.C, Wolaita soddo town manifests horizontal expansion average annual income ranged from 1000 to more than
in four direction. Related with sprawl of the town, the town 100,000.Of all this figure, those the households who were
administration has built infrastructures, like roads, earning an annual average income varying from 10,000-
University, schools and other government institutions. Due to 49,000, ETB, were majority. Specifically, about 9.17%,
this expansion of the town and construction pupose, town 9.17%, 17.5%, 25.8% and 38.3% of the households used to
administration forced to push peri-urban farmers; which earn an average annual income respectively, Above 100,000,
made a great fear on farmers future tenure security, fear on less than 1000,1000-9000,50,000-100000 and 10,000-49,000.
accident evection, converting farm lands into residential that
results decreased in agricultural productivity of the farmers
and which leads insecurity in food and livelihood problems.
Similarly, an assessment of the level of tenure security of
the community was also carried out in this study. In this
survey result as we can see from fig-3 below, about 22
(18.5%) households were replied as they feel secure and the
other household were indicated as feeling insecure because of
town growth has extending towards them alarmingly and this
made changes on their holding rights specially they cannot
construct, built and expand any kind of a new construction
even if they have full ownership rights on their farm land,
because all of their parcels/farm lands were under the
controls of municipality and town administration. About 76
(63.3%), 13 (10.8%) a feel as insecure and very insecure
respectively and the left respondents responded as no
response which is about 9(7.5%). The survey result revealed Source: Own survey result (2017)
that, most of the peri-urban community feeling as fear or
4 Zerihun Lemma Shanka: The Impact of Urban Expansion on Tenure Security and Livelihoods of
Peri-Urban Areas: The Case of Wolaita Soddo Town, Southern Ethiopia
Figure 3. The total annual income of displaced farmers before urban 2.06.The implication was that the peri- urban agrarian
expansion (n=120). community’s average poultry stock as a financial capital
diminished currently by 2.34 which was 53.1%.
B. After Expansion
On the other hand, after the expansion, as figure 6 shown
us, the categories of income was reduced and the average
annual income these households earn had become to ranged
from less than 1000 to 50,000, ETB, of whom those the
households whose annual average income fallen in the range
of 1,000-9,000 were majority, 67.5%, ones. Specifically,
about 3.3%, 3.5% and 7.5% of the households were earning
the average annual income above 50,000, less than 1000 and
10,000- 49,000 in ETB after expansion respectively. The
survey result revealed as, most of affected whose farm plots
taken by city administration for the sake of public purpose
were responded as they have decreased in average annual
income which was earned from farming and cattle raising
before than now.

Source; Survey result (2017)

Figure 6. An average possession of oxen after town expansion.

Source: Household survey (2017)

Source; Survey result (2017)
Figure 4. An average annual income of peri-urban households currently
(n=120). Figure 5. Average possession of oxen household before town expansion
(n=120).
In a regard to livestock and land holdings, households had
4.4.2. Impacts of Urban Expansion on Farmers’ Social
before urban expansion over their area and possessed after
Capital
then, the average oxen, the cows, the sheep and poultry were
By a large extent, the social capital is known to be
purposely taken in to the account of assess and the following
determined by the social relationship a given household had
analysis has been made.
built in a certain community. To this end, the households in
Before the town expansion over there, as we can see from
the community where this study had been conducted had a
figure 7, the households had an average oxen of 2.94.But
social relationship varying from moderate to very high
after then, currently, figure 8 shown us that these households
through high although groups with the latest are majority.
had the average oxen of 0.436. From this we can infer that
Specifically, 7.5%, 12.5% and 35% of this community had a
the oxen possession as an asset saving declined by 2.5 which
social relationship leveled to "Low", "moderate”, and “very
was 85%. Similarly, the average cows these households
high” respectively sooner than the city’s expansion over their
possessed before the town expansion was 1.61 while this
vicinity as figure -9 below depicts. On the other hand, after
figure was 1.4 currently as figure 9 and 10 respectively
the city’s expansion towards their vicinity, 72.5% and 25% of
depicted. This shown us that the average cows’ possession
this community come to have this capital leveled to
these households had before had diminished by 0.21 which
“moderate” and “Very low” respectively while 0.83% had a
was also 13%.
“Low” social relationship. Also each of 0.83% households
Moreover, figure 11 shows us that the average sheep these
had the social capital equated to “High” and “Very high” as
households had before was 2.02 while this figure was 1.24
figure 16 below.
after then as figure 12. This then shown us that, the average
A. Social relationship or value level before town
sheep stock as a financial capital was shrinked by 0.78 whose
expansion
percentage was 38.6%.
Finally, these households had the average poultry stock of
4.4 before the city had to expand to their vicinity as we can
see from figure 13. Currently, however, as well be read from
figure 14, these households had the average poultry stock of
 5

Source: household survey (2017)

Source: survey results (2017)
Figure 20. Peri-Urban community agreement level on Soddo town growth
Figure 7. Urban expansion impacts on farmers social capital. (n=120).

B. Social relationship or value level after/now town 4.4. Strategies Adopted to Cope with the Effects of Urban
expansion Expansion

Conversion of farm lands into urban use is a serious

problem in the study areas as the communities experience
greater influence from the expansion of Soddo town and its
consequential influx of migrants into the communities.
Figure (24) shows what farmers resort to immediately they
lose their farmlands. The study sought to understand whether
farmers have access to alternative means of livelihood or
otherwise when they become landless as a result of
conversion of farmlands to urban use. A large number of
Source: survey results (2017) respondents (42.0%) indicated trading and Farming as the
Figure 8. Social relationship or value level after/now town expansion. alternative option available to people who have lost their
farm to urban use, 26% were of the view that they trading on
4.3. Perception of Farming Community towards Urban relatives for support. When further interested was made, it
Expansion was revealed that among the groups most affected are the
aged who previously engaged in farming. The vulnerability
Most of the households who are living at fringe of soddo
of the aged stems from the fact that this group mostly lack
town were replied as disagreed on soddo town expansion
capital to engage in non-farm activities and are unlikely to
toward them, which is shown as histogram figure-23 below,
move to the city or to other areas to look for employment like
about 45.83% and 10.83% households were in the study area
the young people (Thuo, 2010). This point is buttressed by
disagreed and strongly disagreed on town growth towards
(Dávila‘s,2002) argument that majority of the peri-urban
their locality respectively, this group disapproved the town
dwellers (especially the poor indigenes) who depend heavily
growth because of, unfair land distribution, unfair
on natural resources for their livelihoods are worse affected
compensation given to displaced farmers from their farm
when such resources are lost or degraded as a result of urban
lands at the time of town expansion; for the purpose of public
expansion. The study also revealed that when people cannot
infrastructural constructions; the city administration
gain a secure livelihood in their homelands, they are
converting rural lands into town through lease system,
compelled to depend on relatives. Depend on relatives is one
because they accepted as the expansion program mandate is
of the important strategies whenever people can no longer
solely given to city administration. On the other hand the
secure a livelihood. Twenty six percent (26%) of the
peri-urban residential who are sustaining their livelihood by
respondents said that farmers depend on their relatives
small business were response as town growth have brought
elsewhere to either home worker or look for non-farm
slightly positive effect and their response as agree on town
activities, while 17% need to engage in trading. The focus
growth towards them, which covers about 34.17% and about
group discussion at ofa seri revealed that, when farmers lose
5% households were answered as no effect or neutral to the
their farmlands, the females mostly resort to petty trading and
growth of soddo town toward them. This study revealed that,
engage in small industries while the males, if they had learnt
the soddo town growth slightly affects the peri-urban
a vocational skill (tailoring, carpentry) go back to this
households, especially in terms of reduction farm lands,
business. Moreover, to cope with hardships, parents engage
providing unfair alternative lands and compensation for those
children in hawking, borrowing and sale of assets. The
displaced farmers from their stems.
discussion in ofa gandaba revealed that most young women
resort to taking multiple kitchen partners as their coping
strategies. To cut down cost on food, people devise strategies
such as a reduction in the quantity of food purchased (eating
6 Zerihun Lemma Shanka: The Impact of Urban Expansion on Tenure Security and Livelihoods of
Peri-Urban Areas: The Case of Wolaita Soddo Town, Southern Ethiopia
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