LIFT economic empowerment component completion report

This report examines the Economic Empowerment Unit (EEU) component of the Land Investment for Transformation (LIFT) programme in Ethiopia which aimed to improve the incomes of the rural poor and enhance economic growth through second level land certification (SLLC) and an improved rural land administration system (RLAS).

The programme covered over 14 million parcels for approximately 6.1 million households across Oromia, Amhara, Tigray, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region. The EEU component specifically focused on addressing key constraints in rural land markets to ensure landholders could fully benefit from land certification, emphasising the MSD approach.

Intervention description

The Economic Empowerment Component of the LIFT programme carried out various interventions to improve access to finance, land rental services and agricultural practices for smallholder farmers and vulnerable groups.

Specific interventions included developing and promoting new agricultural loan products linked to the Second Level Land Certification (SLLC), supporting microfinance institutions (MFIs) to offer these loans, and facilitating land rental service provision systems. The programme partnered with MFIs, regional and local land administration offices, and input suppliers to introduce and scale these models.

Evidence indicates that partners, such as MFIs, adopted the loan products and continued to roll them out beyond the project's support, with MFIs investing their own resources and adapting the products to better meet customer needs. For instance, ACSI (Amhara Credit and Saving Institution) played a significant role in expanding the loan products and influencing policymakers.

Evidence methodology

The methodology used in the EEU component involved collecting both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data included quarterly rapid assessments and detailed case studies of individual farmers, while quantitative data encompassed weekly loan data from microfinance institutions and detailed impact surveys. This mixed-methods approach allowed the programme to gain comprehensive insights into the performance of the interventions, including their impacts on investment, productivity and incomes. Data was collected, analysed and reported to stakeholders to inform decision-making and adaptive management.