Neo-Colonial Land Grab Threatens Small Scale Farmers in Africa

Rich countries and firms are currently purchasing massive amounts of land in developing African nations to be used for the production of food and biofuel.

Many of the agricultural dealings are being called “murky”, as small scale, local farmers and native pastoralists are increasingly being pushed aside to make room for large agri-industrial estates connected to far off markets.

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There are an estimated 15-20 million hectares up for grabs across the continent– an area equivalent to the total amount of land currently under cultivation in the whole of Germany– and tens of billions of dollars are at stake. That dwarfs the foreign aid budgets which currently funnel into African nations for agriculture.

Although proponents of the new development argue that the starved continent is desperate for higher food production and an improved agricultural infrastructure, most of the time those benevolent promises are nothing more than disguised colonialism. As local farmers and communities hand over ownership of their land to foreign investors, it’s those foreign markets which benefit while locals lose control over their ability to supply their own sustenance and wealth.

The result is often an increase in unrest, poverty and protest across the continent. For instance, in Kenya, an estimated 150,000 families in pastoralist communities would have to be displaced if a land deal was confirmed with the country of Qatar. In Madagascar, the government was recently overthrown in large part due to land negotiations which would have allowed vast tracts to be developed to grow maize and palm oil for South Koreans. Meanwhile, land grabs by the Chinese have led to unrest and resistence in Mozambique and Malawi.

Yet despite the controversy, it’s true that higher food production is a necessity across Africa, and the money, jobs and infrastructure involved in the foreign dealings could benefit locals if the right safeguards are in place. So what’s the solution?

According to the International Federation of Agricultural Producers, foreign investing can be a positive win-win situation only if increased transparency is practiced in the dealings. There needs to be international oversight to ensure that local land rights are respected and that benefits are shared, and environmental sustainability and adherence to national trade policies must become priorities. More specifically, foreign exports should be entirely halted whenever there is an acute national food crisis.

Source: IRIN Africa

Image Credit: Axel Bührmann at Flickr under a Creative Commons License

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