Environment, Poverty and Conflict

by Tesfaye Teklu

In Ethiopia, environmental conflicts – struggles over natural or environmental resources – have frequently been caused by competing claims over land, pasture, forests and water, owing to both the intrinsic and the symbolic values of these commodities. Thus the ‘environment’, far from being a neutral terrain, is subject to competing economic, cultural and religious forces. This study seeks to understand the notion of the environment in relation to socio-economic arguments, and discussions about culture and identity, so as to open up an area of research that has not received as much attention as it deserves.

The two papers included in this study are entitled ‘Natural Resources Scarcity and Rural Conflict’ and ‘The Migration, Environment, Conflict Nexus’. The papers were first presented at the Second International Conference on the Ethiopian Economy, convened by the Ethiopian Economic Association in 2004.

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Reviews

"Teachers of African history will find these case studies invaluable reading for students because they are so focused and simply expressed. They could be used to suggest wider source material and to encourage both debate on the issues that are raised as well as comparisons with other parts of Africa.": African Historical Review