Evidence-based resettlement planning with adequate capital expenditure can
help create a more conducive living environment for millions of Ethiopians in
drought-prone and ecologically vulnerable Weredas. However, much of the resettlement
so far has neither been well planned nor river-based. Thus, irrigable
agricultural lands remain undeveloped with a reported less than 5 percent of the
the Blue Nile basin having been developed for food production (Block, Strzepek,
and Rajagopalan 2007). A top-down approach has also meant that fertile land
and forest areas previously held by local populations has been given to resettlers
thereby triggering conflicts that have forced the repatriation of a substantial proportion
of settlers (Wolde-Selassie 1997; Mellese 2005; Ayke 2005; Dessalegn
2005; Assefa 2005; Gebre 2005; Kassahun 2005)