Foreign rush for Africa’s arable land and impact on food security
Africa is fast becoming the world’s bread basket, attracting investors from different countries around the world, who are buying up and/or leasing arable land to produce food for their own countries.
This is the finding of a report released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
The report on Foreign Direct Investment in West Africa, said crop land expansions or acquisitions are on the increase and have been disproportionately focused on Africa.
The African continent has the largest reserves of arable land in the world.
IFPRI said Foreign Direct Investment in land in Africa is yet to be quantified and needs more research, as this could worsen food insecurity in the region and lead to the displacement of thousands of people.
The report says international trade changes that triggered the recent crises in global food markets have also fuelled a spike in overseas investments in agricultural land in Africa.
In an interview with WADR’s Jedi Ramalapa, IFPRI Researcher Fluer Wouterse elaborates on the potential impact the rush for land could have on local farming communities and food security in Africa.
Click audio below to listen
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