Book: The governance of large-scale farmland investments in Sub-Saharan Africa. A comparative analysis of challenges for sustainability.
By George Schoneveld
2013
Growing global resource scarcities and increasingly unstable commodity markets have in recent years propelled large numbers of investors to seek access to the cheap and fertile farmlands of sub-Saharan Africa. Though potentially providing its often neglected agricultural sector with much-needed investment capital, with many of these investments threatening to deprive the rural poor of vital livelihood resources and contribute to environment degradation, these investments have become a topic of heated debate in the public, political, and academic arenas.
Amidst a rapidly growing body of research on particularly trends and outcomes, The Governance of Large-Scale Farmland Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa examines a critically under researched aspect of this trend, namely, host country governance. With an absence of sufficiently comprehensive international regulatory frameworks, the investment governance burden often falls solely on host country governments, which in the African context are typically ill-equipped or disinclined to provide adequate oversight. This exacerbates the risk of adverse local social, economic, and environmental impacts and undermines the effective capture of investments’ potential developmental contributions.
The primary aim of this book is to advance the understanding of the regulatory conditions under which large-scale farmland investments can contribute to sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa. It does this by explaining why the local outcomes of most farmland investment have to date been so similar. In so doing, this book examines and links a range of issues that to date have often been evaluated in isolation – ranging from laws and policies in host countries to institutional dynamics and local community responses. The analysis is based on original field research conducted by the author in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Zambia.
George C. Schoneveld is a Scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Nairobi, Kenya. This book was produced as part of his PhD under the LANDac programme, one of the Academies for International Cooperation sponsored by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and hosted by the Utrecht University.
This publication can be ordered here.
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by admin
Vacancy announcement: Land Portalopen data website admin
The Land Portal team is looking for a technical person with expertise in Drupal administration and Open Data.
The team is seeking a multi-skilled technical lead to manage the transition of the Land Portal from it’s first version as a Drupal 6 website, to it’s future as a Open Data and Linked Data driven platform, based on Drupal 7, CKAN (data catalogue) and Virtuoso (linked data triple store). She/he will ensure that the Land Portal continues to develop as the leading source of information and data to support improvements in land governance across the globe.
The Terms of Reference can be accessed here.
Deadline for applications is December 20th, the selected applicant is expected to start working in January 2014 and can be based anywhere.
The initial contract is for 4 months with possibility of extension upon satisfactory performance.
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by admin
New publication: compensation and resettlement policies
‘Compensation and resettlement policies after compulsory land acquisition for hydropower development in Vietnam: policy and practice’
In this new article published last week in open access journal Land, the authors analyse differences between policies and practices regarding state-led land acquisitions. By studying the case of a dam-related resettlement project near Hue city in Central Vietnam, the authors address the question of how the process of compulsory land acquisition for hydropower dam construction can be described and understood with the aim to formulate implications for improved policies. The article can be accessed here.
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by admin
New publication: Africa for sale
‘Africa for sale: Positioning the state, land and society in foreign large-scale land acquisitions in Africa’
Sandra J.T.M. Evers, Caroline Seagle and Froukje Krijtenburg (eds.)
The past several decades have witnessed a rise in foreign and domestic investments in Africa’s arable land. While such land projects are currently the focus of widespread media and scholarly interest, the role of the state in driving, negotiating and facilitating these acquisitions deserves closer attention. This book analyzes how state land policies, stakeholder interactions and privatization schemes interact to facilitate large-scale land acquisitions. It includes a study of the various forms of state intervention, the influence of foreign agencies, governments and private entities, and a look at how states interact with local populations. The inclusion of case studies in settings throughout the African continent should attract the interest of both an academic and non-academic readership.
For more information about this publication and to order a copy, please visit the website of the Netherlands Association of African Studies.
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by admin
Experts identified key indicators to support the Post-2015 development agenda
Experts identified key indicators to support the Post-2015 development agenda
Prior to the GLTN Partner meeting on 11, 12 and 13 November in the Hague, the Netherlands, over 30 internationals experts met and agreed to propose 4 promising land indicators to support the post-2015 development agenda. The four indicators proposed for considerations are:
(1) Perceived tenure security which can be formulated as follows: “Percentage of women and men, communities and businesses that perceive their land resources and property rights are recognized and protected”;
(2) Secure land rights, which can be stated as follows: “Percentage of women and men, Indigenous Peoples and local communities and businesses with legally recognized evidence of tenure”;
(3) Equal rights of women which can be stated as follows: “Extent to which the legal framework provides women and men equal rights to land resources and property”; and
(4) Legal recognition of a continuum of land rights which can be stated as follows: “Extent to which the legal framework recognizes and protects legitimate land rights and uses derived through a plurality of tenure regimes”.
Participants at the meeting also agreed on roadmap to advance the global land indicators.
The expert group meeting was attended by representatives of multilateral and bilateral organisations, governments, research and training institutions, civil society organizations.
The meeting was convened by the Millennium Challenge Corporation, UN-Habitat and the World Bank. The Global Land Tool Network provided the technical and financial support for the meeting.
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by admin
Land rights and Coca Cola
Following the Oxfam report ‘Sugar Rush – Land rights and the supply chains of the biggest food and beverage companies’, Coca Cola announced that it commits to zero-tolerance for land grabbing. Please find the full commitments here.
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by admin
Publication: The governance of large-scale farmland investments in Sub-Saharan Africa. A comparative analysis of challenges for sustainability.
Book: The governance of large-scale farmland investments in Sub-Saharan Africa. A comparative analysis of challenges for sustainability.
By George Schoneveld
2013
Growing global resource scarcities and increasingly unstable commodity markets have in recent years propelled large numbers of investors to seek access to the cheap and fertile farmlands of sub-Saharan Africa. Though potentially providing its often neglected agricultural sector with much-needed investment capital, with many of these investments threatening to deprive the rural poor of vital livelihood resources and contribute to environment degradation, these investments have become a topic of heated debate in the public, political, and academic arenas.
Amidst a rapidly growing body of research on particularly trends and outcomes, The Governance of Large-Scale Farmland Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa examines a critically under researched aspect of this trend, namely, host country governance. With an absence of sufficiently comprehensive international regulatory frameworks, the investment governance burden often falls solely on host country governments, which in the African context are typically ill-equipped or disinclined to provide adequate oversight. This exacerbates the risk of adverse local social, economic, and environmental impacts and undermines the effective capture of investments’ potential developmental contributions.
The primary aim of this book is to advance the understanding of the regulatory conditions under which large-scale farmland investments can contribute to sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa. It does this by explaining why the local outcomes of most farmland investment have to date been so similar. In so doing, this book examines and links a range of issues that to date have often been evaluated in isolation – ranging from laws and policies in host countries to institutional dynamics and local community responses. The analysis is based on original field research conducted by the author in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Zambia.
George C. Schoneveld is a Scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Nairobi, Kenya. This book was produced as part of his PhD under the LANDac programme, one of the Academies for International Cooperation sponsored by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and hosted by the Utrecht University.
This publication can be ordered here.
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by admin
New website: focus on land in Africa
Focus on Land in Africa (FOLA) is a joint initiative of the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Landesa, and provides information for development practitioners and policy makers who are interested in how land and natural resource rights affect, and are effected by, development in Africa. The website provides country sources, information about specific development themes and briefs about property rights issues.
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by admin
Call for papers World Bank Land & Poverty Conference 2014
The World Bank has launched its new call for papers for the Land & Poverty Conference in 2014. The conference takes place in Washington DC, at the World Bank, from 31 March – 3 April. Under the theme of “Land Governance in the Post-2015 Agenda: Harnessing Synergies for Implementation and Monitoring Impact”, the 2014 conference will focus on building a shared understanding of best practices in land governance. For more information about the theme and instructions for paper submissions, please visit the conference website.
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by admin
DFID to scale up Land portfolio
DFID intends to publish a new competition opportunity in early 2014 where they will be seeking partners for a new multi-million programme which will improve land governance and the protection of land tenure rights in up to 6 DFID focus countries, and promote greater transparency and accountability in land governance globally.
For more information, please visit the DfID supplier portal.
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by admin
Climate change and land
On 30 September, LANDac organized a lecture around the themes of climate change and land. Dr Sonja Vermeulen of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) introduced recent themes and topics around the links between climate change policies and land governance.
A short report of the lecture will be available soon.
Please find Sonja’s power point presentation via this link.