Although most scholars would agree that the relation between development and migration is complex and non-linear, as a consequence of methodological and theoretical limitations, evidence is inconclusive, and contesting theories have remained largely untested. To fill this gap, this interdisciplinary research project develops new theoretical and empirical approaches to gain a broader understanding of migration as an intrinsic part of wider processes of development and change. It does so by answering the following question: How do processes of development and social transformation shape the geographical orientation, timing, composition and volume of internal and international migration? Answering this question requires the adoption of a long-term time frame and interdisciplinary methods.The objective of the proposed visit of Dr. Asmamaw Legass to UvA is to assist our research team to understanding changing land-use patterns and policy across Ethiopia in the last half-century. We will focus on Ethiopia as a whole, as well as our specific case-study within Ethiopia: the Adami Tulu Jido Kombolcha district. Dr. Asmamaw Legass has unique access to aerial photography, satellite images and land use/cover data from the Ethiopian Mapping Agency in Addis Ababa, and the University of Amsterdam has the facilities to analyze these images and data at a sophisticated level. Dr. Asmamaw’s research expertise is in the field of geography and environmental studies; we will combine his expertise with the migration expertise of our research group to correlate our findings on land-use and changing migration patterns over time. We are particularly interested in understanding the varying and inter-related impacts of 1) climate change/drought; 2) changing land policy; 3) population growth; 4) agricultural development; and 5) urbanization, on the movement of populations within and from Ethiopia.