Good intentions on land investment, but…

A recent report by the UK charity, Oxfam, makes reference to varying examples in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda regarding land investment.The core of the report is the concern that, of late, there has been an unprecedented scramble for land in developing countries by foreign investors, raising some serious concerns.In Mubende, Kiboga and Bugiri districts in Uganda, for instance, a concern has been raised regarding pine and eucalyptus plantations. Complains have been made of forced evictions and displacement in the plantation areas, and have been lodged with the International Finance Corporation through its Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman (CAO). The evictions, according to the complaints echoed around the world, have negatively impacted the communities by displacing them from land, destroying their private property, and forcing them to forego health, education, and livelihood opportunities.International Finance Corporation is World Bank’s private sector lending arm and has some stake in the Uganda plantations investment. This is worth noting, as World Bank stands out “as the world’s leading standard-setter and a big investor in land”, and therefore bears some responsibility, according to the Oxfam report.The report, Our Land, Our Lives, notes that the question is whether investment strengthens or undermines the rights to land and related resources of the most vulnerable local people, especially women.An evocative example is given of the Tana Delta in Kenya. It is noted that “while community members have little monetary income, they gain decent livelihoods from their access to land. They can grow food and graze their animals, and can supplement their diets with fish, fruits and honey. Women can sell the surplus and keep the proceeds. However large-scale land deals have often undercut their ability to make ends meet. Investors tend to employ young men, while older people and women, particularly those with children, are left without income or resources.” One may not deny the good intentions, but it is quite an indictment that communities meant to benefit end up being worse off as the Tana example illustrates. These are the same fears being expressed in Tanzania on tree plantations on communal lands that local villagers used for grazing and as a source of food, fuel and medicine.Oxfam reports that “some community members are now wondering whether the few benefits they have seen from the company justify the handing over of such a large amount of land.”Rwanda presents one of the happier examples addressing insecurities of tenure where millions of plots have been registered with World Bank support, “enabling small farmers, especially women, to invest and increase productivity”. The World Bank denies supporting negative practices associated with large-scale land acquisitions. But one of the key messages in the Oxfam report is that “reforms are urgently needed to ensure that land governance systems uphold tenure and land-use rights, protect local farmers and pastoralists, especially women, and guarantee their right to negotiate a good deal from any investment.”The message is also that it should never be lost that livelihoods in Africa and in much of the world have been, and continue to be rooted in land. Mess with this fact, and you are likely to have a potentially explosive situation on your hands.Twitter: @gituram