Relationship between Large-Scale Agricultural Investors and Local Communities | Land Portal
Agric investments and local communities

Resource information

Date of publication: 
April 2016
Resource Language: 
Pages: 
8
License of the resource: 

Key points:

 Initial contacts between investor and community are important and prior information of the local
population is crucial for laying a foundation for a good relationship. However, remaining realistic about
what the investment can achieve and regular contacts to the community are equally important.
 Land issues in Zambia are highly contentious. Even if investors target state land, this may lead to
dissatisfaction of the local population.
 Employment is often thought of as the main benefit to local communities. In reality, the potential of
commercial farms to employ people from the local population is limited. High mechanization and demand
for qualified labor leads to limited job opportunities for local communities.
 Outgrower schemes bear the potential to include large parts of the population but are a challenging
endeavor in poor rural settings. We recommend that investors link up with experienced partners to set up
such schemes. This also includes checks and balances for the investor.
 Investments are not positive in each and every regard. Trade-offs between socio-economic and
environmental goals need to be communicated and negative effects need to be mitigated.
 Investors often invest in community infrastructure. We recommend that investors cooperate with the
government in setting up infrastructure that typically is carried by the government.

Authors and Publishers

Author(s), editor(s), contributor(s): 

Kerstin Nolte,
Mitelo Subakanya

Publisher(s): 

Established in October 2011, the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI) is a non-profit Zambian company limited by guarantee which collaboratively works with public and private stakeholders in the agricultural sector. IAPRI is led by a local Board of Directors drawn from various state and private sector stakeholders.


Our Vision: To be the Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Policy Research and Outreach in Zambia.


Data provider

Established in October 2011, the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI) is a non-profit Zambian company limited by guarantee which collaboratively works with public and private stakeholders in the agricultural sector. IAPRI is led by a local Board of Directors drawn from various state and private sector stakeholders.


Our Vision: To be the Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Policy Research and Outreach in Zambia.


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