This report presents a preliminary synthesis of existing findings emerging from IDRC-supported projects on large-scale land acquisitions and accountability in Africa. Two-thirds of foreign land deals take place in developing countries with serious hunger problems and in countries with the weakest land rights protection laws. Investments to date have served to highlight existing weaknesses in the management and governance of agricultural lands and local communities.

Global biomass demand is expected to roughly double between 2005 and 2050. Current studies suggest that agricultural intensification through optimally managed crops on today's cropland alone is insufficient to satisfy future demand. In practice though, improving crop growth management through better technology and knowledge almost inevitably goes along with (1) improving farm management with increased cropping intensity and more annual harvests where feasible and (2) an economically more efficient spatial allocation of crops which maximizes farmers' profit.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Southern Africa Food Lab (SAFL) and Reos Partners organised a learning exchange aimed to deepening the understanding on the linkages between agriculture and social protection, focusing on lessons and experiences from southern Africa. The purpose of this learning exchange was to facilitate sharing and compiling of lessons learned in the design, implementation and institutional arrangements of linkages between social protection, food security and agricultural-based livelihoods, including good practice

Well before the effective ending of the protracted Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)

insurgency in northern Uganda in July 2006, and at a time when the entire rural

population was displaced into camps, concerns had emerged around land, in particular

in the Acholi sub-region, where the war had been most intense and longest lasting

(Adoko & Levine 2004). Through forced displacement, almost all rural Acholi

families has been prevented from occupying their land for many years, years in which

Uncertainties in the international carbon market make it imperative the UN’s REDD+ framework engages a wider spectrum of the private sector than just international companies and investors. Countries with REDD+ programmes should work with their domestic private sector to provide the missing momentum. Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are crucial, as these usually dominate in forest- and agriculture-based economies.

This policy brief draws on three sources of data from a study undertaken in Lesseyton in Lukanji Local Municipality and Willowvale in Mbashe Local Municipality, in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.The aim was to understand the vulnerability context of households in the two sites and how they coped with multiple shocks and stresses, with an emphasis on various types of safety nets. Methods included a survey that specifically targeted vulnerable households, data from several community workshops and in-depth life history interviews.

The past decade has ushered in an era of increasingly contentious land politics in Zambia, with investors, the government, and chiefs simultaneously blamed for injustices in land allocation. These conflicts over land have been exacerbated, and at times caused by the lack of transparency and available data on the status of land. While a variety of actors has real grievances with the security and efficiency of the current system of land allocation, smallholder farmers bear the brunt of the risk of continuing the status quo in land policy.

This research report contains an overview of two innovations that form part of a project called Supporting Smallholder Agriculture (SSA) conducted by the Southern Africa Food Lab (SAFL). The two innovations documented in this report simultaneously investigated market segmentation and standards - related challenges among smallholder farmers in two parts of the country.

Oportunidades, Desafios, e Prioridades.

The objective of this Road Map is to propose the main aspects to consider and steps to take to initiate, monitor and contribute to the review of the current Land Law (LL – Law 19/97, of October 1). The review of this law entails the subsequent review of its implementing instruments, namely the associated Decrees and Ministerial Diplomas approved since 1997.

Mozambique is experiencing increased privatesector investment, to assist in meeting the country’s its development objectives. The government has intensified efforts to attract foreign direct investment, to improve Mozambique’s socioeconomic status and alleviate poverty. However, adequate legal frameworks are necessary to align investments with national priorities and to ensure compliance with environmental and social safeguards.

This paper seeks to understand the drivers and pathways of local livelihood change and the prospects for transformation towards a more sustainable future. Data are used from several studies, and a participatory social learning process, which formed part of a larger project in two sites in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Secondary information from a wealth of related work is used to place our results within the historic context and more general trends in the country. Findings indicate that livelihoods in the rural Eastern Cape are on new trajectories.