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.