Foreign Direct Investments or Economic Exploitation of Developing Countries? A Critical Discourse on the Concept of `Land grabbing’ in Africa

Since 2008 there has been a dramatic increase in foreign direct investments in large-scale agriculture in Africa. This has manifested in the acquisition, by foreign entities, of millions of hectares of lands in African countries and has given rise to the concept of `land grabbing in Africa’. This article critically evaluates various existing studies on the concept of `land grabbing in Africa’, and argues that the dramatic rise in foreign investments in agriculture in developing countries does not necessarily mean `land grabbing’. The article proposes a significant distinction between large-scale foreign investments in agriculture, which African countries direly need, and the concept of land grabbing as commonly used in existing literature. The article cautions that the resounding shouts about land grabbing should not drown the urgent whispers of the necessity of foreign investments in large-scale agriculture to the economic productivity and development of African countries. The article points the way forward for African governments to ensure that foreign investments in large-scale agriculture do not result to economic exploitation or land grabbing but contribute to national productivity and economic development of the continent. Keywords: Large-scale agriculture, land grabbing, foreign direct investment, African development, economic exploitatio

Nigerian Agriculture Promotion Policy 2016 – 2020: Towards a New Paradigm for Domestic Food Security and Foreign Exchange Earnings in Agricultural Production

Agriculture is key to overall economic growth and development of African countries like Nigeria. A suitable policy that charts a clear roadmap to large scale and commercial agricultural production is necessary to achieving food sufficiency and exports. This paper reviews the Nigerian Agriculture Promotion Policy 2016 – 2020 (APP) in order to determine how it addresses the challenges that have stifled the growth of agriculture in Nigeria, and the attendant negative impacts on the socio-economic development of the country. The adopted methodology is a desk review and content analysis of the Policy Document, together with other literature on Nigeria’s experience in agriculture policy administration. This paper finds that the APP clearly provides a new paradigm in approach and processes towards attaining food security and foreign exchange earnings in Nigeria’s agricultural production in the short, medium and long terms. This paper however recommends that in order for the APP to endure for stable and consistent implementation of its long term solutions to Nigeria’s agricultural challenges, it should be presented to the National Assembly for enactment as a piece of legislation. This is necessary to sustain the current successes and realize the future potentials of Nigeria’s agricultural production as suitably laid out in the APP. Keywords: Agriculture policy, agricultural production, economic development, food security, foreign exchange earnings DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/9-3-07 Publication date:March 31st 201