This paper is a summary of a thesis submitted to th e Kimmage Development Studies Centre, Dublin in partial fulil ment of the requirement for the degree of MA in Development Stu dies. The paper examines the effect of land tenure systems on soil conservation practices as it is an important factor in shaping t he socio-economic structure of the Ethiopian rural sector. This resea rch was mainly a qualitative case study exercise, which used a range of data collection methods, semi-structured household interviews, focu s group discussions, key informant interviews and secondary data reviews. The indings of the research showed that all respond ents are aware of the problems of land degradation and as a result un dertake different types of soil and water conservation practices to m itigate the problem. The research also revealed that secure land tenure rights, be it before land registration or afterwards, is not a prerequis ite to farm households’ decisions to adopt soil conservation practices. Mor eover, the analysis revealed that factors like labour availability, fre quency of rural extension visits, non-farm income generating activities and h ousehold education have a positive linkage in determining farm househo lds’ decisions to invest in soil.