Africa for Sale?

Claim-making in transnational land deals: Discourses of legitimation and stakeholder relations in central Uganda

“…Among these are those that stress the central role of statutory and cultural institutions in managing process and determining outcomes of land deals (Schoneveld, 2013;Wolford et al, 2013). More critical insights have scrutinised the role of contextual factors such as colonial legacies, elite patronage, and legal pluralism in weakening rather than strengthening land rights (Cotula, 2013;Evers et al, 2013). Consequently, more recent research has turned to the failure of such land deals to bring about inclusive development (Otsuki et al, 2017).…”

The green economy in Tanzania: From global discourses to institutionalization

“…Simultaneously, there has been an increase in foreign control over farmland and natural resources (Anseeuw, Boche, Breu, Giger, Lay, Messerli & Nolte, 2012), particularly in Africa. A renewed 'scramble' for Africa's farmland was sparked after the food price-hike in the mid-2000s (Evers, Seagle & Krijtenburg, 2013;Sulle, 2015). Interestingly, this urge to make money from, or control, Africa's natural resources and farmland has recently been combined with the idea of the green economy and its implementation.…”

“…SAGCOT is championed as a typical green economy initiative (SAGCOT, 2013;Kabubu, 2012;Bergius et al, 2017), flagged as green transformation, green growth, or, in its own words, 'agriculture green growth' (SAGCOT, 2013). There is a growing amount of research pointing to the consequences of large-scale land acquisitions and privatization of agricultural investments in Africa in 'the name of green' (Byiers & Rampa, 2013;Nhamo & Chekwoti, 2014;Cotula, 2013;Kaag & Zoomers, 2014;Evers et al, 2013), including SAGCOT (Sulle, 2015;Sulle, 2016;Bergius et al, 2017;Coulson, 2015;Chung, 2017). While concerns have been raised about the possible impacts of SAGCOT, both at national and local levels, this study does not aim to point to implications of the initiative itself.…”