Interrogates the narratives of land grabbing and agricultural investment through detailed local studies that illuminate how these are experienced on the ground and the implications for Africa's land and agricultural economy.

"This is an exemplary political economy analysis of what has happened across Africa since the contemporary global land grabbing occurred more than a decade ago. While the topic and questions addressed may sound familiar to many readers who have been tracking the issue over the last decade, this volume provides a much needed up to date information, critical insights and nuanced analysis, which place it among the best in Africa's land rush scholarship and beyond." - Tsegaye Moreda, International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Erasmus University Rotterdam "While the stories have faded from the headlines in the decade or so since the trend first emerged, discussions about the implications of large-scale land investments have persisted among academics and development practitioners. This volume manages to both highlight emerging trends and provide an analysis that is rich in contextual detail, while making. an important and timely contribution to discourses on the nexus between law, power and economic development in Africa." -David Deng, Human Rights Lawyer and Researcher, Detcro LLC This volume provides up-to-date information on what has happened in the African 'land rush', providing national case studies for countries that were heavily impacted. The research will be a critical resource for students, researchers, advocates and policy makers as it provides detailed, long-term assessments of a broad range of national contexts. In addition to the specific questions of land and investment, this book sheds light on the broader international political economy of development in different African countries. Logan Cochrane is Assistant Professor in the Department of Global and International Studies at Carleton University, Canada. Nathan Andrews is Assistant Professor in the Department of Global and International Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia, Canada.

This paper studies the determinants of foreign land acquisition for large-scale agriculture. To do so, gravity models are estimated using data on bilateral investment relationships, together with newly constructed indicators of agro-ecological suitability in areas with low population density as well as indicators of land rights security. Results confirm the central role of agro-ecological potential as a pull factor. In contrast to the literature on foreign investment in general, the quality of the business climate is insignificant whereas weak land governance and tenure security for current users make countries more attractive for investors. Implications for policy are discussed.

This handbook presents an extensive new overview of African development - past, present and future. It addresses key core themes and topics that are pertinent to the continent's development - including sections on history, health and food, politics, economics, rural and urban development, and development policy and practice. The volume draws on the expertise of over 60 of the world's leading scholars to provide a detailed and up-to-date analysis of the key opportunities and challenges that confront Africa, and how such issues are being addressed. Arranged by key themes, the handbook provides not only a historical understanding of the past, but also political perspectives on the future. The chapters provide critically informed analyses of their topics by drawing upon the latest conceptual viewpoints and applied experiences in Africa in the form of case studies to offer a comprehensive examination of the opportunities, challenges, key debates and future prospects. This handbook is an invaluable state-of-the-art overview and reference concerning many different aspects of Africa's development, which will be of interest to academics in all fields of African studies, and also academics and students working in cognate disciplines such as development studies, geography, history, politics and economics.

Agriculture has been an enduring human tradition key to survival and civilization. However, after the advent of industrialization and agricultural growth, the industry has been met with several challenges including pollution, land use, and food insecurity. With the agricultural industry contributing to pollution and emissions, many have found it imperative to investigate the causes and seek out solutions. The Research Anthology on Strategies for Achieving Agricultural Sustainability discusses the issues that the agricultural industry currently faces and the technological opportunities that can be explored to help protect and predict crop growth and achieve more resilient agricultural processes. It analyzes the impact of agricultural pollution and food insecurity on a global scale, but also proposes solutions to promote agricultural sustainability. Covering topics such as bio-farming, smart farming, and population growth, this book is an indispensable resource for government officials, agricultural scientists, farmers, students and professors of higher education, activist groups, researchers, and academicians.