In Africa, large land acquisitions are still as opaque

Land grabbing continues in Africa, ten years after the UN tried to introduce a framework to avoid the anarchic purchase of land by large, often foreign investors, according to the report published on Monday, May 16, by Land Matrix Initiative (LMI), a collaborative and independent database of international data.

This project, born in the aftermath of the great land rush at the end of the 2000s in the midst of the world food crisis, identifies large-scale land transactions. ” Even if there are less investments than in 2008-2010, we can still speak of land grabbing,” says Ward Anseeuw, member of the International Land Coalition (ILC) and co-editor of the report. Thus, between 2010 and 2020 in sub-Saharan Africa, 7.3 million hectares were placed under rental or acquisition contracts, of which less than 40% were ultimately developed. While the annual volume of these transactions tends to stagnate, their impact remains significant for smallholders who are the main victims.

The report therefore focuses primarily on the implementation of the proactive guidelines adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Committee on Food Safety, the aim of which was to obtain transparency in transactions, consultation of local populations in the acquisition process and respect for their rights. From this point of view, the results are disappointing. In more than half of the States of the continent, the evaluation exercise could not be carried out for lack of sufficient data. And, of the 23 countries finally studied, 20 present flagrant violations of these directives. Of the 730 transactions involving more than 200 hectares – the criterion defining a large-scale land acquisition – one in five was carried out without the application of any guidelines, and four out of five were with, but in a manner unsatisfactory.

Violation of customary rights

Mauritania and Sudan have the lowest land guideline application scores, followed closely by Mali, Congo-Brazzaville and South Sudan. The breaches that occur most often concern the violation of customary property rights as well as the rehousing of displaced persons.

Sudan is also the least transparent country about its transactions. The state has mainly received investments from the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, although the largest acquisition – 87,000 hectares, the equivalent of eight times Paris Intramural – was carried out by the Lebanese company GLB Invest to grow alfalfa and corn along the Nile.

In general, the authors judge, the fate of pastoral populations is neglected. ” Transhumant herders who transit through countries depending on resources are not taken into account in the negotiation processes”, explains Jérémy Bourgoin, researcher at the Center for International Cooperation in Agronomic Research for Development (CIRAD), specialist in Senegal. In total, only 2.5% of transactions were carried out with the full consent of local populations.

The impact of these acquisitions on the degradation of the environment is also pointed out by the report. ” We observe that in the absence of a prior consultation process on land management, a systematic degradation of natural environments occurs”, worries Ward Anseeuw. Land investments usually favor monocultures with a strong impact on the soil and biodiversity. They are also often synonymous with deforestation with a strong impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

“Contradiction”

“This report is important in the context of the commitments made at the Glasgow World Climate Conference at the end of 2021”specifies Ward Anseeuw, where 141 countries had signed a declaration which recognizes the rights of indigenous populations and local communities. “There is a real contradiction between these countries which are committed to supporting indigenous peoples and local communities against deforestation, and which at the same time are displacing entire communities”, continues the researcher.

The share of international investment has become more difficult to track. Land Matrix struggles to identify the financial arrangements made between foreign companies and local subsidiaries, which it nevertheless considers to be very numerous. In February, the European Union adopted a directive requiring companies with more than 500 employees to exercise due diligence on the practices of their subsidiaries abroad. This text, which concerns respect for human rights and environmental standards, is deemed insufficient by Land Matrix researchers.

The African states that receive these investments also bear their share of responsibility. ” Ministries decide whether to lease or sell land, especially large areas, and are often part of the consortium driving the project,” recalls Ward Anseeuw. In order for the situation to improve and for the directives to be respected, ” we should bring all the players around the table”, recommends the researcher at the ILC, without forgetting the local populations.