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Biofuel Development and Large-Scale Land Deals in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Giorgia Giovannetti

    (Università degli Studi di Firenze)

  • Elisa Ticci

Abstract

Africa's biofuel potential over the last ten years has increasingly attracted foreign investors’ attention. We estimate the determinants of foreign investors land demand for biofuel production in SSA, using Poisson specifications of the gravity model. Our estimates suggest that land availability, abundance of water resources and weak land governance are significant determinants of large-scale land acquisitions for biofuel production. This in turn suggests that this type of investment is mainly resource-seeking and investors might see land governance weaknesses as a way to access land and water resources at very favorable conditions. Results are robust to different specifications.

Suggested Citation

  • Giorgia Giovannetti & Elisa Ticci, 2013. "Biofuel Development and Large-Scale Land Deals in Sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers - Economics wp2013_27.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa.
    • Handle: RePEc:frz:wpaper:wp2013_27.rdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Hirsch, Cornelius & Krisztin, Tamás & See, Linda, 2020. "Water Resources as Determinants for Foreign Direct Investments in Land - A Gravity Analysis of Foreign Land Acquisitions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    2. Giovannetti, Giorgia & Ticci, Elisa, 2016. "Determinants of biofuel-oriented land acquisitions in Sub-Saharan Africa," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 678-687.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    biofuels; land acquisitions; Poisson regression; Africa.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • F21 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Investment; Long-Term Capital Movements
    • N57 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - Africa; Oceania
    • Q24 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Land

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