ABSTRACT
Land ownership is inextricably linked to political power and social status in agriculturally based economies: the structure of land tenure manifests the political and economic power and class relationships in a society. Land tenure also plays a major role in determining the ways in which land, labour and other inputs are used to attain higher agricultural output. The land tenure system in pre-revolutionary Ethiopia was among the most complex in the world and was closely linked with the existing political structure. The Agrarian Reform in Ethiopia has mobilized the peasantry towards greater political participation to protect its own interests as well as to provide support for the government. A large number of the respondents who cited land belonging to the government as a reason for their land tenure insecurity were tenants. Closely related to the issue of land security is the question of farm investment.
