IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/ieewps/211.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Determining Minimum Compensation for Lost Farmland: a theory-based impact evaluation of a land grab in Sierra Leone

Author

Listed:
  • Hansen, Marc
  • Conteh, Mohamed
  • Shakya, Martina
  • Löwenstein, Wilhelm

Abstract

The land grabbing issue has produced a plethora of debates ranging from ethical conduct of land grabbing agents, specifically concerning displacement, to evidence for and against positive externalities such as technological spill-overs and construction of infrastructure. An underexplored topic is the valuation of agricultural land and the compensatory payments made to land users, distinct from land owners, for the loss of their source of food security. This paper establishes a theoretical framework for the valuation of agricultural land from the perspective of land users, based on a household production function. For the analysis data were collected in a survey of 203 households in the land grab affected area in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone during 2013. It shows that, for the case of a specific land grab in Sierra Leone, the compensatory payments received by land users are far below the value of the land lost and as such the lease income is unable to allow these households to maintain their previously, already tenuous, levels of food security. A clear distinction is made between land owners and even more vulnerable non-landowning land users who depend on the agricultural land for their food security and livelihoods. The household level analysis showed that in addition to the level of compensation received by the average household being insufficient to maintain a priori welfare levels the distribution of compensation significantly favoured the wealthier households. Since the value of the land and the rent distribution were set in local positive law the project could correctly call itself fully compliant but the land grab still resulted in significant welfare losses. The methodology implemented by this ex-post study can identically be applied to an ex-ante scenario allowing land grabbing agents to define a minimum compensatory payment to land users not based on asymmetrical bargaining power but on actual land value to this vulnerable section of the local population.

Suggested Citation

  • Hansen, Marc & Conteh, Mohamed & Shakya, Martina & Löwenstein, Wilhelm, 2016. "Determining Minimum Compensation for Lost Farmland: a theory-based impact evaluation of a land grab in Sierra Leone," IEE Working Papers 211, Ruhr University Bochum, Institute of Development Research and Development Policy (IEE).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:ieewps:211
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/183565/1/wp-211.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Feichtinger, Paul & Salhofer, Klaus, 2011. "The Valuation of Agricultural Land and the Influence of Government Payments," Working papers 119103, Factor Markets, Centre for European Policy Studies.
    2. Ruth Hall, 2011. "Land grabbing in Southern Africa: the many faces of the investor rush," Review of African Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(128), pages 193-214, June.
    3. Griffin, Ronald C. & Montgomery, John M. & Rister, M. Edward, 1987. "Selecting Functional Form In Production Function Analysis," Western Journal of Agricultural Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 12(2), pages 1-12, December.
    4. Akhter U. Ahmed & Rajan K. Sampath, 1992. "Effects of Irrigation-Induced Technological Change in Bangladesh Rice Production," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 74(1), pages 144-157.
    5. Yujiro Hayami & Robert W. Herdt, 1977. "Market Price Effects of Technological Change on Income Distribution in Semisubsistence Agriculture," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 59(2), pages 245-256.
    6. Alfons Weersink & Steve Clark & Calum G. Turvey & Rakhal Sarker, 1999. "The Effect of Agricultural Policy on Farmland Values," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 75(3), pages 425-439.
    7. Löwenstein, Wilhelm & Shakya, Martina & Hansen, Marc & Gorkhali, Sanjay, 2015. "Do the Poor Benefit from Corporate Social Responsibility? A Theory-Based Impact Evaluation of Six Community-Based Water Projects in Sri Lanka," IEE Working Papers 210, Ruhr University Bochum, Institute of Development Research and Development Policy (IEE).
    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. Kebede, Dereje & Emana, Bezabih & Tesfay, Girmay, 2023. "Impact of land acquisition for large-scale agricultural investments on food security status of displaced households: The case of Ethiopia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).

    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. Saguatti, Annachiara & Erickson, Kenneth & Gutierrez, Luciano, 2014. "Spatial panel models for the analysis of land prices," 2014 International Congress, August 26-29, 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia 182757, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    2. Wasantha Athukorala & Clevo Wilson, 2017. "Distributional impacts of irrigation-induced agricultural development in a semi-subsistence economy: new evidence," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 19(1), pages 59-75, January.
    3. Saguatti, Annachiara & Erickson, Kenneth & Gutierrez, Luciano, 2014. "Spatial panel models for the analysis of land prices," 2014 Third Congress, June 25-27, 2014, Alghero, Italy 172997, Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AIEAA).
    4. Hagos, Fitsum & Makombe, Godswill & Namara, Regassa & Awulachew, Seleshi Bekele, 2008. "Importance of irrigated agriculture to the Ethiopian economy: capturing the direct net benefits of irrigation," IWMI Conference Proceedings 246409, International Water Management Institute.
    5. Jerzy Michalek & Pavel Ciaian & d’Artis Kancs, 2014. "Capitalization of the Single Payment Scheme into Land Value: Generalized Propensity Score Evidence from the European Union," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 90(2), pages 260-289.
    6. Carlberg, Jared G., 2002. "Effects Of Ownership Restrictions On Farmland Values In Saskatchewan," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 34(2), pages 1-10, August.
    7. Livia Marchetti & Valentina Cattivelli & Claudia Cocozza & Fabio Salbitano & Marco Marchetti, 2020. "Beyond Sustainability in Food Systems: Perspectives from Agroecology and Social Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-24, September.
    8. Callahan, Scott & Ifft, Jennifer & Michaud, Clayton P., 2022. "The impact of countercyclical farm programs on agricultural land values," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322579, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    9. Lay, Jann & Nolte, Kerstin & Sipangule, Kacana, 2021. "Large-scale farms in Zambia: Locational patterns and spillovers to smallholder agriculture," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    10. Zeytoon Nejad Moosavian, Seyyed Ali & Goodwin, Barry K., 2018. "GENERALIZING THE GENERAL: Generalizing the CES Production Function to Allow for the Flexibility of Input-Driven Output Risk and Viability of Input Thresholds," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274352, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    11. Letort, Élodie & Temesgen, Chalachew, 2014. "Influence of environmental policies on farmland prices in the Bretagne region of France," Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies - Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement (RAEStud), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), vol. 95(1).
    12. Kilian, Stefan & Salhofer, Klaus, 2008. "Single Payments of the CAP: Where Do the Rents Go?," Agricultural Economics Review, Greek Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 9(2).
    13. Oltmer, Katrin & Florax, Raymond J.G.M., 2001. "Impacts Of Agricultural Policy Reform On Land Prices: A Quantitative Analysis Of The Literature," 2001 Annual meeting, August 5-8, Chicago, IL 20507, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    14. Deepananda Herath & Alfons Weersink, 2007. "Peasants and plantations in the Sri Lankan tea sector: causes of the change in their relative viability ," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 51(1), pages 73-89, March.
    15. Koen Dekeyser, 2019. "Land Investments, Food Systems Change and Democracy in Kenya and Mozambique," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 178-189.
    16. Suarez, Federico & Fulginiti, Lilyan & Perrin, Richard, 2015. "The Value of Water in Agriculture: The U.S. High Plains Aquifer," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211644, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    17. Hess, Sebastian & Surry, Yves R., 2011. "The CDET Profit Function: Could it generate a Parsimonious Agricultural Sector Model?," 2011 International Congress, August 30-September 2, 2011, Zurich, Switzerland 114539, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    18. Farsi, Mehdi & Filippini, Massimo, 2009. "An analysis of cost efficiency in Swiss multi-utilities," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 306-315, March.
    19. Shaik, Saleem & Atwood, Joseph A. & Helmers, Glenn A., 2012. "Did 1933 new deal legislation contribute to farm real estate values: A regional analysis," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 801-816.
    20. Latruffe , Laure & Piet, Laurent & Dupraz, Pierre & Le Mouël, Chantal, 2013. "Influence of Agricultural Support on Sale Prices of French Farmland: A comparison of different subsidies, accounting for the role of environmental and land regulations," Factor Markets Working Papers 163, Centre for European Policy Studies.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Land Grabbing; Large Scale Land Leases; Productivity Method; Theory-Based Impact Evaluation; Smallholder Farmers; Customary Land Rights; Welfare Changes; Sierra Leone;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • H43 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Project Evaluation; Social Discount Rate
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
    • Q15 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment
    • R52 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Land Use and Other Regulations

    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:zbw:ieewps:211. 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: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/iebocde.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.