Books published by Forum for Social Studies

FSS, in collaboration with the Civil Society Support Programme I(CSSPI), designed and implemented a project on khat in Ethiopia. The project had three components: research, national conference and production of a documentary film. The research contained, two studies based on rigorous field research and using qualitative and quantitative data. The research reports, the socio-economic impacts of khat in Harar and Assossa,and the impact of khat trade on children's education in Aweday and Wondo Genethave been published and disseminated to the stakeholders and the wider public. The papers, which are included in this book generally, deal with four thematic issues-production; marketing; consumption and issues relating to the regulation of khat.

As part of its on-going public dialogue program on progress in Ethiopia’s development and public policy the Forum for Social Studies is undertaking a project of research and public dialogue on a number of selected topics on the theme of 'Prospects and Challenges for Inclusive and Participatory Development in Ethiopia'. The aim is to enable researchers and professionals to present evidence-based papers to stimulate debate and reflection. This first book in the program looks at the impact of development or lack of it, on specific social groups, namely women, young people and vulnerable groups that should be entitled to decent social care.

In recent years, a large number of Ethiopians are travelling to various countries as labour migrants. The Republic of South Africa and the oil-rich Gulf countries have emerged as major destinations for many documented as well as undocumented Ethiopian labour migrants. The majority of the migrants send a substantial amounts of money back to the country for different purposes. Out of this, the largest share comes through 'informal' channels, bypassing banks and other money transfer institutions. The use of informal means of money transfer is problematic as it does often violate government financial regulations, both in the sending and receiving countries. In addition, the use of informal channels denies the country valuable foreign exchange income. This monograph examines the various channels that Ethiopian labour migrants in the Republic of South Africa and the Middle East use to send remittance money to their families; and the respective advantages and drawbacks thereof. It also looks at how remittance money is utilised by receiving families and its socio-economic impacts.

In Ethiopia, khat cultivation is expanding aggressively in recent years. Regions that were formerly known for coffee production have become major khat producing areas. In Equal proportion, the habit of khat chewing is expanding at an alarming rate among different social groups irrespective of gender, age, religion and ethnic background. Khat has also become one of the leading export commodities and foreign currency earners for the country. Correspondingly, the khat marketing system has evolved tremendously all along the value chain and become a means of livelihood for many people. Accordingly, school-age children, as young as 8 years, are involved in khat trading and marketing activities.Based on empirical data collected from two khat marketing centers, Aweday and Wondo Genet, this monograph explores the impact of children's involvement in khat trading activities on their schooling. The study also investigates the major causes for such an engagement of young people in khat marketing activities; and probes the nature and magnitude of other possible adverse effects, such as developing the habit of regular khat chewing.

In recent years, Ethiopia has experienced a rapid expansion of Khat production, marketing and consumption that has put her in a double bind. Her economy is becoming increasingly dependent on the production and export of Khat, the same way a significant section of her population is getting progressively enticed into its unbridled consumption. Khat abuse/addiction has led to serious and manifold socioeconomic problems including those relating to health. In spite of the fact that several millions of her citizens are preoccupied with Khat in the capacities of growers, traders, and chewers, the country has no clear policy to guide its production, distribution or use. The study, the findings of which are reported in this volume, focused on the unravelling the intertwined socioeconomic impacts of Khat consumption and addiction, and culminates with the identification of feasible national-level strategies and policy responses to the Khat conundrum.

The major objective of the research is to produce evidence-based knowledge on the social and economic impacts of labour migration by looking at the challenges and opportunities of Ethiopian labour migration to the Gulf and South Africa. On the one hand, international migration from Ethiopia could be considered as an aspect of development problem. The major push factors that forces Ethiopian migrants to the Gulf and South Africa are economic/developmental problems ranging from lack of employment opportunities to wage differentials. On the other hand, international migration could be considered as an important resource that could be tapped for accelerating socio-economic development. At the general level, this research aims to examine the successes and failures of policies and institutions in realising the potentials of international migration for socio-economic development of the country and minimizing its adverse impacts. At the same time, the growing problem of illegal migration will be examined.

The overall objective of the study is aimed at generating a baseline data for monitoring the overall impact of development interventions in general and the irrigation schemes of the Tana sub-basin in particular regarding local livelihoods, food security and poverty alleviation in rural areas and local employment and income, assets and access to services in urban areas.

Studies in many African countries show that charcoal making is among the primary drivers of deforestation and subsequent land degradation. In the case of Ethiopia, charcoal is produced from state-owned (public) forests and woodlands. There is little regulatory intervention from the government side. Moreover, production is more traditional and the producers have little idea that charcoal can be produced efficiently with modern technologies. Although charcoal meets significant portion of urban households' energy needs in the country, and also support the livelihood of tens of thousands of rural households, it hardly attracted the attention of policy makers and development agents. A good majority of urban population who use charcoal on regular basis doesn't seem to know how charcoal is made, from where it comes, and its adverse environmental impacts. In cognizant of the potential environmental impact of charcoal production and marketing in the country, FSS commissioned this study with the objective to understand the environmental, social and economic implications of charcoal production, marketing and consumption in Ethiopia with aim to generate/increase awareness among the general public and incite a policy debate among concerned key stakeholders.