Ethiopia being predominantly an agrarian COIIIIIIY, the peljormance of agriculturalrnsector significantly influences the peljonnance of other seClOrs o/i/le economy. There isrnan agreement that Elhiopian agriculture is in a velY bad shape. /-1 -is still as vulnerable as it was 20 or 30 years ago. The COu/llly is listed among the.food d~ficil countries of thernworld. The Iraditional fanning practices wilh lillie or no soil conservation measuresrnhave signijicalllly eroded the fertility o/Ihe soil.rnEnvironmental degradation in Ethiopia is enormous and increasing at an alarming rale.rnThe major environmental problem in our COUlltly loday is land degradation. The problemrnis mainly caused by lack oUnveslment on indigenous land conservation techniques andrnabandoning land improvement and management practices such as terracing, bunding,rnlIlulching, fallowing, crop rotation, plall/ing nutrielll:fixing crops. ele.rnIn light 0/ Ihe foregoing Ihis paper allemplS 10 examine Ihe relalionship belweenrnenvironmental condilion and land lenure. The paper mainlains Ihat land tenure canrnpromote land use practices Ihat serve 10 enhance Ihe environmel1l or il can harm thernenvironment. Insecure land tenure is linked to poor land use which in tum leads 10 landrndegradalion. Lack of clear righls 10 land can reduce Ihe incentive 10 implemenl longIeI'mrnconservalion measures. II discourages peasanls 10 use such long-Ierm measuresrnand inslead leads Ihem 10 concenlrate on getting whalever they can I/OW vilhoullookingrninlo the .fillw'e. The paper argues that in the Ethiopian context tenure insecurily is 10 arnlarge eXlent attributable 10 periodic land redistribulion which is carried oUIji'om lime 10rntime. The paper .fill'lher argues Ihat Ihe underlying cause of lenure insecurity is Ihernpolicy of public ownerslnj) of rural lands, which policy makes land redislribulionrnpossible and suggesls Ihal the practice 0/ land redislribulion should be haltedrnimmed ialely.