Moges Wubet Shita, is a PhD student in the Geoinformation Research Group at the Vienna University of Technology. His doctoral research is on "The nexus between urbanisation and housing in Ethiopia; case study of Debre Markos". There is a growing demand for affordable housing as a result of population growth and urbanisation. In all Ethiopian cities, including Debre Markos, access to affordable housing and land is a serious and emerging issue. Therefore, his research focuses specifically on the relationship between urbanisation and housing, the extent of urban expansion, housing preferences and affordability of households in the study area. This should help policy makers to make informed decisions on urbanisation and housing. As a result, this will contribute to one of the thematic focuses of APPEAR, sustainable economy and urban development.
From his PhD research, he has already published two articles in the journal “Land”, which is an international and cross-disciplinary, peer-reviewed, open access journal on topics such as land system science, landscape, soil and water, urban study or water–energy–land–food nexus.
Moges is the principal author of the first article “Factors Affecting Food Security of Expropriated Peri-Urban Households in Ethiopia: The Case of the East Gojjam Administrative Zone”. In Ethiopia, drastic urbanization creates competition for land between agriculture and urban development, which is becoming extreme in peri-urban areas. The article aims to assess the impact of urban expansion on food security among expropriated peri-urban households in Ethiopia. Urban expansion and an increase in the population of urban areas persuade horizontal urban expansion leads to evicting households from their agricultural land changing their livelihood and expose to food insecurity. Therefore, to address food insecurity among expropriated households, policymakers must prioritize the factors of food security. Government attention and policy consideration are crucial to ensure the well-being of these vulnerable populations.
The second article on “Land Rental Transactions in Ethiopian Peri-Urban Areas: Sex and Other Factors for Land Rent Transactions” he co-authored with his local supervisor, Sayeh Kassaw Agegnehu, Associate Professor of Land Administration at Debre Markos University, who is also a former OeAD scholar. This publication emphasizes factors affecting land rental transactions in peri-urban areas. Sex, landholding size, number of oxen, participation in off-farm activities, and extension service are identified as significant determinant variables for renting land. The continuous reduction in peri-urban agricultural land due to spatial urban expansion forces subsistence farmers to seek arable land through different land access strategies. Among these, land rental transactions are crucial for accessing arable land for peri-urban households across different regions.
Moges Wubet Shita received a BSc degree in Land Administration from Bahir Dar University and a Master's degree in Urban Land and Property Valuation from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Prior to his PhD studies, he worked as a lecturer at Debre Markos University, Ethiopia. From 12-17 February 2024, he attended a workshop at the University of Agriculture in Krakow, Poland, at the invitation of his supervisor, Prof. Gerhard Navratil, Vienna University of Technology. This workshop was part of the Erasmus+ project "Land Information for Land Management (Li4LaM)".
Publications:
Shita, M. W., Agegnehu, S. K., Nurie, D. F., Dires, T., & Navratil, G. (2024). Factors Affecting Food Security of Expropriated Peri-Urban Households in Ethiopia: The Case of the East Gojjam Administrative Zone. Land, 13(11), 1779. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111779
Agegnehu, S. K., Mansberger, R., Shita, M. W., Nurie, D. F., & Mengesha, A. K. (2024). Land Rental Transactions in Ethiopian Peri-Urban Areas: Sex and Other Factors for Land Rent Transactions. Land, 13(9), 1344. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091344
