IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/mar/magkse/201350.html

Interplay of Land Governance and Large-Scale Agricultural Investment: Evidence from Ghana and Kenya

Author

Listed:
  • Kerstin Nolte

    (GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies)

  • Susanne Vaeth

    (University of Marburg)

Abstract

Recognising the increased demand for agricultural land, this comparative analysis examines the effect of large-scale land acquisitions on their surrounding institutional environment. An embedded case study design allows us to analyse two specific land deals in Ghana and Kenya. We find that insufficiencies in these countries’ land governance systems are partly caused by discrepancies between de jure and de facto procedures; and that weak legal frameworks, coupled with poor enforcement, produce outcomes that depend to a large extent on the investors. We also find that large-scale land acquisitions have a feedback effect on the land governance system, which suggests that large-scale land acquisitions can be drivers of institutional change.

Suggested Citation

  • Kerstin Nolte & Susanne Vaeth, 2013. "Interplay of Land Governance and Large-Scale Agricultural Investment: Evidence from Ghana and Kenya," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201350, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    • Handle: RePEc:mar:magkse:201350
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.uni-marburg.de/en/fb02/research-groups/economics/macroeconomics/research/magks-joint-discussion-papers-in-economics/papers/2013-papers/50-2013_nolte.pdf
    File Function: First 201350
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:wbk:wbpubs:2263 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Ward Anseeuw & Mathieu Boche & Thomas Breu & Markus Giger & Jann Lay & Peter Messerli & Kerstin Nolte, 2012. "Transnational land deals for agriculture in the global south," Post-Print hal-02875924, HAL.
    3. Ward Anseeuw & Mathieu Boche & Thomas Breu & Markus Giger & Jann Lay & Peter Messerli & Kerstin Nolte, 2012. "Transnational land deals for agriculture in the global south," Post-Print hal-02875924, HAL.
    4. Nolte, Kerstin, 2013. "Large-Scale Agricultural Investments under Poor Land Governance Systems: Actors and Institutions in the Case of Zambia," GIGA Working Papers 221, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
    5. Derek Byerlee & Klaus Deininger, 2013. "The Rise of Large Farms in Land-Abundant Countries: Do They Have a Future?," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Stein T. Holden & Keijiro Otsuka & Klaus Deininger (ed.), Land Tenure Reform in Asia and Africa, chapter 14, pages 333-353, Palgrave Macmillan.
    6. Lorenzo Cotula & Sonja Vermeulen, 2011. "Contexts and Procedures for Farmland Acquisitions in Africa: What outcomes for local people?," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 54(1), pages 40-48, March.
    7. German, Laura & Schoneveld, George & Mwangi, Esther, 2013. "Contemporary Processes of Large-Scale Land Acquisition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Legal Deficiency or Elite Capture of the Rule of Law?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 1-18.
    8. Meinzen-Dick, Ruth Suseela & von Braun, Joachim, 2009. ""Land grabbing" by foreign investors in developing countries: Risks and opportunities," Policy briefs 13, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    9. Mathieu Boche & Ward Anseeuw & T. Kapuya & S. Aubin & I. Sunga, 2012. "Global Land Deals," Post-Print hal-03072578, HAL.
    10. Berry, Sara, 2009. "Building for the Future? Investment, Land Reform and the Contingencies of Ownership in Contemporary Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 1370-1378, August.
    11. Poul Wisborg, 2013. "Justice and Sustainability: Resistance and Innovation in a Transnational Land Deal in Ghana," QA - Rivista dell'Associazione Rossi-Doria, Associazione Rossi Doria, issue 2, June.
    12. Gerring, John & Kingstone, Peter & Lange, Matthew & Sinha, Aseema, 2011. "Democracy, History, and Economic Performance: A Case-Study Approach," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(10), pages 1735-1748.
    13. repec:wbk:wbpubs:13191 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Gerring, John, 2004. "What Is a Case Study and What Is It Good for?," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 98(2), pages 341-354, May.
    15. Wendy Wolford & Saturnino M. Borras Jr. & Ruth Hall & Ian Scoones & Ben White & Perrine Burnod & Mathilde Gingembre & Rivo Andrianirina Ratsialonana, 2013. "Competition over Authority and Access: International Land Deals in Madagascar," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 44(2), pages 357-379, March.
    16. Ward Anseeuw & Mathieu Boche & Thomas Breu & Markus Giger & Jann Lay & Peter Messerli & Kerstin Nolte, 2012. "Transnational land deals for agriculture in the Global South," Post-Print hal-02875921, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Menusch Khadjavi & Kacana Sipangule & Rainer Thiele, 2021. "Social Capital and Large-Scale Agricultural Investments: An Experimental Investigation [Implications of the presence of large scale commercial farmers on small scale farming in Nigeria: the case of Zimbabwean farmers in Kwara State]," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 131(633), pages 420-449.
    2. Kleemann, Linda & Thiele, Rainer, 2015. "Rural welfare implications of large-scale land acquisitions in Africa: A theoretical framework," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 269-279.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nolte, Kerstin & Voget-Kleschin, Lieske, 2014. "Consultation in Large-Scale Land Acquisitions: An Evaluation of Three Cases in Mali," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 654-668.
    2. Christoph Oberlack & Markus Giger & Ward Anseeuw & Camilla Adelle & Magalie Bourblanc & Perrine Burnod & Sandra Eckert & Wegayehu Fitawek & Eve Fouilleux & Sheryl Hendriks & Boniface Kiteme & Livhuwan, 2021. "Why do large-scale agricultural investments induce different socio-economic, food security, and environmental impacts? Evidence from Kenya, Madagascar, and Mozambique," Post-Print hal-03419337, HAL.
    3. Kleemann, Linda & Lay, Jann & Nolte, Kerstin & Ott, Konrad & Thiele, Rainer & Voget-Kleschin, Lieske, 2013. "Economic and ethical challenges of "land grabs" in sub-Saharan Africa," Kiel Policy Briefs 67, Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
    4. Michael Brüntrup & Fabian Schwarz & Thomas Absmayr & Jonas Dylla & Franziska Eckhard & Kerstin Remke & Konrad Sternisko, 2018. "Nucleus-outgrower schemes as an alternative to traditional smallholder agriculture in Tanzania – strengths, weaknesses and policy requirements," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(4), pages 807-826, August.
    5. Kleemann, Linda & Thiele, Rainer, 2015. "Rural welfare implications of large-scale land acquisitions in Africa: A theoretical framework," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 269-279.
    6. Romy Santpoort, 2020. "The Drivers of Maize Area Expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa. How Policies to Boost Maize Production Overlook the Interests of Smallholder Farmers," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-13, February.
    7. Marcello De Maria, 2019. "Understanding Land in the Context of Large-Scale Land Acquisitions: A Brief History of Land in Economics," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-14, January.
    8. Margherita Scoppola & Margherita Scoppola, 2016. "Foreign Direct Investments and trade in agriculture: an incomplete contracts approach," FOODSECURE Working papers 49, LEI Wageningen UR.
    9. Conigliani, Caterina & Cuffaro, Nadia & D’Agostino, Giovanna, 2018. "Large-scale land investments and forests in Africa," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 651-660.
    10. Gouranga G. Das, 2013. "“Moving” land across borders: spatial shifts in land demand and immiserizing effects," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(1), pages 46-67, March.
    11. Jeremy Bourgoin & Elodie Valette & Simon Guillouet & Djibril Diop & Djiby Dia, 2019. "Improving Transparency and Reliability of Tenure Information for Improved Land Governance in Senegal," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-17, February.
    12. Alois Mandondo & Laura German, 2015. "Customary rights and societal stakes of large-scale tobacco cultivation in Malawi," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 32(1), pages 31-46, March.
    13. Chamberlin, Jordan & Jayne, T.S., 2020. "Does farm structure affect rural household incomes? Evidence from Tanzania," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    14. Valentina Raimondi & Margherita Scoppola, 2022. "Foreign land acquisitions and environmental regulations: Does the pollution‐haven effect hold?," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(1), pages 172-194, February.
    15. 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.
    16. Schoneveld, George Christoffel, 2014. "The geographic and sectoral patterns of large-scale farmland investments in sub-Saharan Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 34-50.
    17. Odusola, Ayodele, "undated". "Economic and institutional determinants of foreign land acquisition in Africa: An empirical analysis," UNDP Africa Economists Working Papers 268727, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
    18. Odusola, Ayodele, 2014. "Land Grab In Africa: A Review Of Emerging Issues And Implications For Policy Options," UNDP Africa Economists Working Papers 307337, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
    19. Raimondi, Valentina & Scoppola, Margherita, 2022. "The impact of foreign land acquisitions on Africa virtual water exports," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    20. 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.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:mar:magkse:201350. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Bernd Hayo (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vamarde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.