Assessing the dynamic impact of formal and perceived land rights on fruit tree cultivation: Exploring the moderating role of forest ecology, gender, and land acquisition method
Secure land rights are essential for encouraging long-term agricultural investment, particularly in developing countries. Fruit trees, in turn, play a critical role in livelihoods due to their nutritional, economic, and environmental benefits. However, the specific effects of secure land tenure—meas...
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Trees, Forests and People |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719325000974 |
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| author | Akalu Assfaw Wolde |
| author_facet | Akalu Assfaw Wolde |
| author_sort | Akalu Assfaw Wolde |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Secure land rights are essential for encouraging long-term agricultural investment, particularly in developing countries. Fruit trees, in turn, play a critical role in livelihoods due to their nutritional, economic, and environmental benefits. However, the specific effects of secure land tenure—measured through both formal and perceived land rights—on fruit tree cultivation in Ethiopia remain underexplored. In addition, there is limited understanding of how gender, local land use, and modes of land acquisition moderate this relationship. This study addresses these gaps using nationally representative panel data. The results show that secure land rights, whether formal or perceived, significantly promote fruit tree cultivation, both in terms of the number of trees and the likelihood of tree adoption on a plot. Notably, this impact strengthens over time. However, heterogeneity analysis reveals that the effect varies considerably depending on environmental and social factors, including local land use, gender, and land acquisition methods. Specifically, the study finds that the impact of secure land rights is more pronounced in communities located within forest ecosystems than in non-forest areas. These findings support the economic theory of property rights by demonstrating that secure land tenure fosters fruit tree cultivation, contributing to sustainable agriculture. The study underscores the importance of policies that enhance tenure security by reducing costs and expanding access to land certification. Moreover, addressing gender disparities through targeted interventions could empower women plot holders to exercise property rights more effectively, thereby boosting investment and improving economic outcomes in Ethiopia and similar settings. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e2d702b15e4745c6a541bc717c54c40e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2666-7193 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Trees, Forests and People |
| spelling | doaj-art-e2d702b15e4745c6a541bc717c54c40e2025-08-20T02:14:37ZengElsevierTrees, Forests and People2666-71932025-06-012010087110.1016/j.tfp.2025.100871Assessing the dynamic impact of formal and perceived land rights on fruit tree cultivation: Exploring the moderating role of forest ecology, gender, and land acquisition methodAkalu Assfaw Wolde0University of Turin, Department of Economics and Statistics, Via Maria Vittoria 39, 10123 Turin, Italy; Dire Dawa University, Department of Economics, Dire Dawa, EthiopiaSecure land rights are essential for encouraging long-term agricultural investment, particularly in developing countries. Fruit trees, in turn, play a critical role in livelihoods due to their nutritional, economic, and environmental benefits. However, the specific effects of secure land tenure—measured through both formal and perceived land rights—on fruit tree cultivation in Ethiopia remain underexplored. In addition, there is limited understanding of how gender, local land use, and modes of land acquisition moderate this relationship. This study addresses these gaps using nationally representative panel data. The results show that secure land rights, whether formal or perceived, significantly promote fruit tree cultivation, both in terms of the number of trees and the likelihood of tree adoption on a plot. Notably, this impact strengthens over time. However, heterogeneity analysis reveals that the effect varies considerably depending on environmental and social factors, including local land use, gender, and land acquisition methods. Specifically, the study finds that the impact of secure land rights is more pronounced in communities located within forest ecosystems than in non-forest areas. These findings support the economic theory of property rights by demonstrating that secure land tenure fosters fruit tree cultivation, contributing to sustainable agriculture. The study underscores the importance of policies that enhance tenure security by reducing costs and expanding access to land certification. Moreover, addressing gender disparities through targeted interventions could empower women plot holders to exercise property rights more effectively, thereby boosting investment and improving economic outcomes in Ethiopia and similar settings.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719325000974Secure land rightsFruit treeForestPanel dataInvestmentsEthiopia |
| spellingShingle | Akalu Assfaw Wolde Assessing the dynamic impact of formal and perceived land rights on fruit tree cultivation: Exploring the moderating role of forest ecology, gender, and land acquisition method Trees, Forests and People Secure land rights Fruit tree Forest Panel data Investments Ethiopia |
| title | Assessing the dynamic impact of formal and perceived land rights on fruit tree cultivation: Exploring the moderating role of forest ecology, gender, and land acquisition method |
| title_full | Assessing the dynamic impact of formal and perceived land rights on fruit tree cultivation: Exploring the moderating role of forest ecology, gender, and land acquisition method |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the dynamic impact of formal and perceived land rights on fruit tree cultivation: Exploring the moderating role of forest ecology, gender, and land acquisition method |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the dynamic impact of formal and perceived land rights on fruit tree cultivation: Exploring the moderating role of forest ecology, gender, and land acquisition method |
| title_short | Assessing the dynamic impact of formal and perceived land rights on fruit tree cultivation: Exploring the moderating role of forest ecology, gender, and land acquisition method |
| title_sort | assessing the dynamic impact of formal and perceived land rights on fruit tree cultivation exploring the moderating role of forest ecology gender and land acquisition method |
| topic | Secure land rights Fruit tree Forest Panel data Investments Ethiopia |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719325000974 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT akaluassfawwolde assessingthedynamicimpactofformalandperceivedlandrightsonfruittreecultivationexploringthemoderatingroleofforestecologygenderandlandacquisitionmethod |