The Great African Land Grab?: Agricultural Investments and the Global Food System (African Arguments)

Over the past few years, large-scale land acquisitions in Africa have stoked controversy, making headlines in media reports across the world. Land that only a short time ago seemed of little outside interest is now being sought by international investors to the tune of hundreds of thousands of hectares. Private-sector expectations of higher world food and commodity prices and government concerns about longer-term national food and energy security have both made land a more attractive asset. Dubbed ‘land grabs’ in the media, large-scale land acquisitions have become one of the most talked about and contentious topics amongst those studying, working in or writing about Africa. Some commentators have welcomed this trend as a bearer of new livelihood opportunities. Others have countered by pointing to negative social impacts, including loss of local land rights, threats to local food security and the risk that large-scale investments may marginalize family farming. Lorenzo Cotula, a leading expert in the field, casts a critical eye over the most reliable evidence on this hotly contested topic, examining the implications of land deals in Africa both for its people and for world agriculture and food security. Cover About the author Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgements 1 Introduction 2 Historical roots of the land rush The first great land grab: the European scramble for Africa The second great land grab: state-led land acquisitions after independence Agricultural intensification and ‘land grabbing’ from below 3 Scale, geography and drivers of the land rush How much land has been acquired, and where? 3.1 What we know about the scale and geography of land acquisitions in selected African countries Who is behind the deals? The business case for ‘land grabbing’ 4 ‘Land grabbing’ in the shadow of the law How governments facilitate the land rush ‘We are also sons of this country’: how national law makes rural people vulnerable to dispossession International law at two speeds: universal rights and different rules What is in the contracts? Beyond the statute books 5 Winners and losers What do the deals mean for affected villagers? Do land deals lead to a ‘water grab’? Changes in national economies and societies Transitions in the global food system 6 Conclusion Notes References Index Hundreds of thousands of hectares of land in Africa that only a short time ago brought little outside interest are now being sought by international investors. These 'land grabs' have become one of the most contentious topics among those studying, working in or writing about Africa. Lorenzo Cotula, a leading expert in the field, casts a critical eye over the most reliable evidence, examining the implications of land deals in Africa both for its people and for world agriculture and food security