In rural eastern Ethiopia, a solar power company embarked on an ambitious renewable energy project. Their goal was to harness the country's abundant sunlight and generate electricity, addressing the region's growing energy needs and contributing to sustainability. As the project unfolded, it became evident that the acquisition of land for the solar power plant resulted in significant, unintended consequences for the women who depended on these lands for their livelihoods. The message that emerges is profound: compensation and resettlement plans, though well-intentioned, might not adequately consider the project's impacts on women who play a vital role in household and food security.

Rural Ethiopia has to consider the trade-offs between small-scale agriculture and solar power generation, making land acquisition a complex issue. The primary goal was to acquire low-cost land for the solar power project in a manner that was as inclusive and protective as possible. However, the challenge lay in ensuring that the acquisition did not disproportionately affect women's livelihoods.

The project faced several significant hurdles. Land acquisition was largely carried out through transactions with male landowners, who dominated land sales. This had a profound consequence – women's livelihoods, which relied heavily on land, were not taken into account during the sale. An impact assessment conducted after the project got underway revealed several critical problems:

This story underscores the importance of considering the gender-specific impacts of large-scale renewable energy projects, especially in areas where women play a crucial role in agriculture and resource gathering. It advocates for more inclusive, gender-sensitive policies and practices in land acquisition and resettlement, ensuring that the benefits of renewable energy projects are shared equitably among all members of the community.

The project revealed a stark gender gap in terms of who benefited from land sales. Men, who predominantly owned land or inherited it, reaped the rewards, while women, who were less likely to inherit land in the first place, were left at a significant disadvantage.

Unforeseen Consequences: Renewable Energy, Land Acquisition, and a Community's Struggle

Emerging Obstacles

Lessons Learned

• The sale of land and the subsequent reduction in yields due to the solar power plant's construction negatively affected women's incomes and household diets. The solar project disrupted the local balance of agriculture and threatened the food security of these communities.
• Women were not consulted or provided equitable access to electricity or the new income opportunities generated by the solar power plant. This disparity denied them the chance to participate fully in the project's benefits.

Photo by Markus Distelrath

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