The global biofuel production has been rapidly increasing since 2007-08 and with it the new demand for land, which has a strong focus on Africa as it has weak land rights protection. Most foreign investors, who intend to buy land for the biofuel production take advantage of the lack of proper property rights in several African countries. Therefore, many of the rural poor, who depend on land for their living, suffer from expulsion or dispossession. In summary, it can be said that the formalization of land titles only serves the poor, when secondary rights as for example for women, herders or migrants, are respected by the state or the foreign investors when allocating, buying or leasing land. In addition, during the processes of allocating, buying or leasing land, the state as well as the foreign investor should give whole local communities (not only local elites) the possibility to negotiate over the future use of the land they tilled for years. From the four land tenure reforms outlined, where land based wealth and power transfers occurs, the two best possible solutions, which serve the poor, would be the redistribution and the distribution of land. In my opinion, the preferable one of this two solutions is distribution as this solution is less conflict-prone. In the present paper two case studies are used to show how (as in the case of Ghana) local elites or foreign investors make decisions without consulting local communities or, that simply changing laws or introduce policies is not enough to protect the land rights of the affected local communities (as in the case of Mozambique). Even if local communities are compensated for loss of their land rights, many agreements between communities and investors emphasize one-off compensations rather than long-term benefit sharing, such as job creation or leasing incomes and the agreements usually involve very small payments compared to for example the value of the forest concessions acquired by investors.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction and Background
- Current Large-scale Land Investments
- Insecure Land Rights Attract International Investors
- Land Grab or a Chance for Agricultural Development in Developing Countries?
- Structure and Research Question of the Seminar Paper
- Eviction of the Rural Poor in Sub-Saharan Africa due to Large-Scale Land Investments
- Sub-Saharan Africa as one of the most Attractive Regions for Investors - Sell out of African Lands
- Land Tenure in Africa
- Major Trends of Land Tenure throughout the African Continent
- Towards a "Modern" System of Land Tenure?
- Registering of Land Titles
- An Inductive Approach instead of Private Property Rights
- Land Tenure Reforms
- Redistribution
- Distribution
- Non-(re)distribution
- (Re)Concentration
- The Best Possible Solution Concerning Land Tenure which Serves the Rural Poor during Big Land Deals by Foreign Investors
- Case studies
- Ghana: A rather Bad Example on the Cultivation of Jatropha Curcas through an Investor from Norway for Biofuel Production
- Mozambique: An (at least on paper) Positive Example in Establishing Safeguards for Local Land Rights
- The Responsibility of the Foreign Investors towards the Rural Poor
- What is Responsible Agricultural Investment (RAI)?
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This seminar paper aims to investigate the best possible solutions to secure land rights for the rural poor in Sub-Saharan Africa who depend on land for their subsistence, in the context of large-scale land deals with foreign investors.- The impact of large-scale land investments on the rural poor in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- The role of insecure land rights in attracting international investors and the consequences for local populations.
- The challenges of land tenure reform in Sub-Saharan Africa and the potential for pro-poor solutions.
- The responsibility of foreign investors to ensure sustainable and equitable land use practices.
- The importance of considering local communities' perspectives and rights in land allocation and use.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- The introduction sets the stage for the paper by discussing the recent surge in large-scale land acquisitions, driven by factors such as the global food price crisis, increasing population, and the growing demand for resources. It highlights the vulnerability of Sub-Saharan Africa due to weak land rights protection and the potential for land grabs to exacerbate existing inequalities.
- The chapter explores the consequences of large-scale land investments for the rural poor in Sub-Saharan Africa, emphasizing the displacement and dispossession of those who rely on land for their livelihoods. It discusses the erosion of customary land rights and the need for urgent action to protect local communities.
- This chapter delves into the land tenure situation in Africa, focusing on the challenges of weak land rights and the attraction of Sub-Saharan Africa for foreign investors. It explores major trends in land tenure and the potential for reforming these systems to better serve the needs of the rural poor.
- This chapter examines different approaches to land tenure reform, including registering land titles and promoting an inductive approach instead of private property rights. It discusses four distinct land tenure reform models: redistribution, distribution, non-(re)distribution, and (re)concentration.
- This chapter examines the challenges of securing land rights for the rural poor during large-scale land deals by foreign investors, outlining potential solutions and considering the needs and vulnerabilities of different groups, such as women, herders, and migrants.
- This chapter analyzes two case studies: one from Ghana highlighting the negative impacts of land grabbing for biofuel production and another from Mozambique exploring attempts to establish safeguards for local land rights. The analysis draws attention to the challenges of implementing pro-poor solutions and ensuring the rights of local communities.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The main focus of this seminar paper lies on the complex relationship between large-scale land investments, land tenure reform, and the rights of the rural poor in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the context of biofuel production. Key themes include land grabbing, food sovereignty, land rights protection, responsible agricultural investment, and the importance of local community participation in land use decisions.- Citar trabajo
- Martina Schöb (Autor), 2012, The Global Biofuel Production and its impact on the Land Tenure of the Rural Poor, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/213192
