Accountability in Africa’s land rush: what role for legal empowerment?
Commercial interest in land has been increasing in recent years. While the trend is global, Africa has been centre stage to this new wave of land acquisitions. Agricultural investments can contribute to economic development and poverty reduction. But evidence suggests that many investments have failed to live up to expectations. In many cases, the deals have left villagers worse off than they would have been without the investment. Many deals are happening in developing countries where food security challenges are acute, and land tenure systems insecure.
SECURING WOMEN’S LAND AND PROPERTY RIGHTS
In many parts of the world, women’s rights to land and property are systematically denied. Women have fewer or less secure rights than men, and discriminatory attitudes and practices undermine them. This leaves many women vulnerable, and almost entirely dependent on the men in their lives for basic economic survival.
Gender and equity implications of land-related investments - Cases of study - Zambia,Tanzania, Ghana and Lao (FAO, 2013)
The gender and equity implications of land-related investments on land access and labour and income-generating opportunities A case study of selected agricultural Investments in LAO PDR (2013)
Sharp rise in environmental and land killings as pressure on planet’s resources increases – report
Urgent action required to challenge impunity of perpetrators, protect citizens and address root causes of environmental crisis
Agricultural change, land, and violence in Darfur
Most analyses of violence in Darfur ignore the local dimension of the crisis, focusing instead on the region’s economic and political marginalization and climatic variability. However, agricultural change and other changes relating to the land-rights and land-use systems have led to competition and exclusion, and have played a major role in the collective violence that has raged throughout the region. Understanding these questions is essential for the successful resolution of political and policy debates in Darfur.
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How agribusiness is failing small farmers in Latin America
Indigenous farmer in the municipality of Sayaxché, department of Petén, Guatemala, viewing the stunted corn crop on his land bordering an oil palm plantation.
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Gender and equity implications of land-related investments - Case of study - Zambia (FAO 2013)
In recent years, Zambia has witnessed increased interest from private investors in acquiring land for agriculture. As elsewhere, large-scale land acquisitions are often accompanied with promises of capital investments to build infrastructure, bring new technologies and know-how, create employment, and improve market access, among other benefits
A Case Study of Selected Agricultural Investments in Zambia (2013)
Gender and equity implications of land-related investments - Cases of study - Ghana (FAO 2013)
Agricultural investments create risks as well as opportunities, for instance The Case Study of Integrated Tamale Fruit Company (2013) In recent years, Ghana has witnessed increased interest from private companies in developing agricultural investments. This trend is common to many lower/middle income countries.
Gender and equity implications of land-related investments - Case of study - Tanzania (FAO, 2013)
A Case Study of Selected Agricultural Investments in Northern Tanzania (2013)
For early reports, see FAO’s Corporate Document Repository
How the world is paving the way for corporate land grabs - Publication - ActionAid
"For millions of people living in the world’s poorest countries, access to land is a matter not of wealth, but of survival, identity and belonging. Most of the 1.4 billion people earning less than US$1.25 a day live in rural areas and depend largely on agriculture for their livelihoods, while an estimated 2.5 billion people are involved in full- or part-time smallholder agriculture.
Tenure security and demand for land tenure regularization in Nigeria - Publication - IFPRI
In line with the conventional view that customary land rights impede agricultural development, the traditional tenure system in Nigeria has been perceived to obstruct the achievement of efficient development and agricultural transformation. This led to the Land Use Act (LUA) of 1978.