From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Sun Jul 19 2009 - 17:26:24 EDT
Rush for African land
2009-07-19 14:47
Nairobi - With a shortage of arable <javascript:void(0);> land and rising
global demand for food driving foreign states toward Africa, the
once-colonised continent risks coming under new domination if the deals are
mishandled, experts warn.
But some analysts counter that land leases, often covering swathes of
territory, may just be the solution to food shortages and an avenue for
development.
South Korea's <javascript:void(0);> Daewoo Logistics had planned to sign
Africa's largest <javascript:void(0);> land lease deal in Madagascar until
the arrangement was abandoned following the outbreak of a political crisis
there in January.
The firm was to develop 1.3 million hectares of <javascript:void(0);>
farmland, the size of Belgium, but the political upheaval, partly due to the
deal, scuppered plans that have since been put on hold.
Starting a branch of a country
Under the agreement, Daewoo planned to produce four million tonnes of maize
and 500 000 tons of palm oil a year.
Madagascar's internationally recognised president, Marc Ravalomanana, fled
the country on March 25 after Andry Rajoelina <javascript:void(0);> seized
power with army support amid street protests.
In Kenya, authorities in December announced plans to lease 40 468ha of land
to the Qatari government in exchange for the Gulf state's $3.5m investment
in a new port, road and railway network.
To cope with rising global grain prices, China's Chongqing Seed Corporation
said in May last year it planned to grow rice in Tanzania, where it had
identified 299ha for potential use.
"It is probably a good thing for those countries on the one hand but a
terrible thing for the African countries, because it's like starting a
branch of whatever country we are taking about here," said Pedro Sanchez of
the Earth Institute.
No employment for Africans
"They will be able to bring all the technology, investment and increase food
production, but I am afraid it is not going to generate employment for the
Africans".
Weeks after Kenya announced the plans, President Mwai Kibaki declared a
national disaster as about 10 million people faced food shortages and
appealed for $400m in foreign aid.
Kenyan lawyer Evans Monari termed the lease deal with Qatar as "hegemony.
"Qatar would never give Kenya a stake in its oil fields," he said.
In an April report, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
said "land is an inherently political issue across the globe.
"The addition of another actor competing for this scarce and contested
resource can add to socio-political instability in developing countries".
But pointing to a dearth of infrastructure and general underdevelopment in
many African countries, Nigerian economist Jonas Chianu argued that
<javascript:void(0);> the exchange of <javascript:void(0);> land for
development provides a way out for growth.
"Instead of allowing the resource to lie unexploited it is better to embark
on lease arrangements," he said.
Destroy wetlands
Only 25% of Africa's 807 million hectares of arable land is under
cultivation, according to a 2002 report commissioned by the Food and
Agriculture Organisation.
"These land acquisitions have the potential to inject much-needed investment
into agriculture and rural areas in poor developing countries," said IFPRI.
Environmentalists have also raised alarm over the potential risks that such
large-scale farming poses to the ecosystem.
In Kenya, conservationists and local residents say the earmarked land is
part of the expansive Tana river delta that sustains threatened bird and
fish species.
"This is a wetland. If it is destroyed it will endanger several fish species
which use it for breeding as well as birds," said Wario Ali, who heads the
Tana River Pastoralists Community Association.
At a recent G8 summit in Italy, leading industrialised countries announced
plans to regulate the land acquisitions in developing nations.
"Investors have no obligations. Millions of hectares are traded at
throw-away prices on three-page contracts," said Olivier de Schutter, the
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food.
"All this is happening without the knowledge of the people," he said.
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