The buying up of farmland by international investors is viewed highly critically. However, sweeping judgements could be inappropriate, as our author demonstrates with survey results from Ethiopia and Uganda.

Au Burkina Faso, le potentiel en terres arables à vocation agricole est épuisé. À l’avenir, la population en rapide expansion ne pourra être nourrie que s’il est possible d’accroître les rendements sur les terres cultivées existantes.

Burkina Faso is already using all its possible farmland. In future the only way to feed the rapidly growing population will be by increasing yields on existing land. Building stone contour lines enables rainwater to be better used and slows erosion.

Since the 2008 food price crisis, foreign investors have been acquiring more and more land in poor countries for producing foodstuffs and biofuels for their own use. Such investments have the potential to promote rural development and food security worldwide.