Household Communal Resource Use and Willingness to Supply Extra Free Labor Days to Conserve Communal Land in Northern Ethiopia: Evidence from the Kilte-Awlaelo Woreda of the Tigrai Region

The availability of and access to natural resources highly influence the livelihood of rural communities in developing countries. However, the natural resource potential in Ethiopian highlands has been eroding due to high population pressure and climate change. This study examined the link between communal resource use and willingness to supply extra unpaid labor days to conserve communal land in Kilte-Awlaelo woreda of Tigrai region of Ethiopia. The study found that the relatively rich households extracted communal resources like animal fodder, firewood and construction materials relative to the poor households in the study area. On the contrary, the poor households tend to supply extra unpaid labor days to conserve communal land compared to wealthy households. Thus, the poor households have to be compensated for the extra unpaid labor days they are willing to supply to take care of the communal resources and, at the same time, the relatively wealthy households have to contribute money, as they could not contribute free labor days, to ensure sustainable communal resource conservation.