Land quality in the man-modified agricultural landscapes of eastern Africa has been shown to degrade over time, resulting in higher demands for farm inputs in order to sustain productivity. Loss of biodiversity has also been observed in all these areas of land use change.

Globally, the conservation and tourism sector is being enthusiastically promoted as one of the key mechanisms to catalyze rural local economic development.

Participants in this workshop reviewed and discussed findings from the research project‚ Policies for Sustainable Land Management in the Highlands of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia, begun in January 1998, and from other related research being conducted in the highlands of Tigray by Mekelle University

ABSTRACTED FROM THE INTRODUCTION: My focus in this paper is on the kinds of development pursued by state agencies and large international aid organisations, and specifically, the displacement effects of what I am calling the new land tenure reform agenda.

"To end hunger and prevent the recurrence of famine and starvation, we need to take the following steps: invest in public health, child nutrition, education, women’s and girls’ social status, and other components of human capital; reform public institutions and create innovative funding and partn