Therefore,
Figure 4 is best interpreted as a ranking of an individual Wereda’s suitability for
large scale irrigation-based resettlement given the availability of land areas that
meet all of the suitability requirements of this study, particularly the slope and
river length requirements. At the very the top are the darkest of the three shades
of gray (highest percentage of suitable land). At the very bottom are high population
density Weredas in the central, northern, and eastern highlands (shown as
unshaded spaces in Figure 4) that also have the steepest slopes and the lowest
percentages of suitable land for Wereda-wide irrigation-based resettlement.
In not addressing potential obstacles to resettlement in Ethiopia, including
possible socio-cultural and political opposition at local levels, this study is not
minimizing the possibility of a push-back by local populations. The public has
long been wary of the many top-down government resettlement approaches. Individual
success stories abound but, generally, the lack of the human and finanS
cial resources needed to bring measurable success to the country’s settlement
activities, has added to the public’s lack of faith in the virtues of resettlement as a
solution to the country’s population problems. We believe, therefore, that population
control measures with a focus on fertility reduction would produce better
long-term results in achieving a healthy population-resource balance in Ethiopia.
In this regard, it is encouraging to note that the percentage of women using contraception
has tripled in the last 25 years and the average fertility in Ethiopia has
decreased from 7.7 to 5.4 children per woman (FDRE 2002; CSA and ORC
Macro 2006). Until desirable fertility levels are reached, resettlement should be
viewed mainly as a crucial safety valve to help relieve population pressure in
high density Weredas as well as those beset by severe environmental degradation
from natural and man-made causes.