‘Where is the evidence that land grabs are good for economic progress?’

This article questions whether land relocations will really benefit resource-rich countries. This is an interest question to be raised within the remit of the project, both concerning countries setting the policies such as Ethiopia, and the companies coming in from outside such as those in Mozambique’s ProSavana project. He concludes that until it is guaranteed that such development programmes will really bring national benefits, governments should err on the side of their smallholder farming communities that are at risk of displacement.
(The Guardian)

China’s forestry trade and investment in Africa

A CIFOR study into Chinese logging companies in Zambia finds that they create fewer jobs than non-Chinese companies, but facilitate more outlets for local logging groups. The research conducted interviews with local authorities, managers of logging companies, retired workers and heads of villages in 25 communities near the concessions of four logging companies — two Chinese-owned, one Zambian and one South African. Much of the timber is exported to China through Mozambique.
(CIFOR blog / CIFOR)

Ethiopia as the new ‘African Tiger’

Over the past week, a number of articles have been published in the Guardian’s development section on Ethiopia as the new ‘African Tiger’. They mark 30 years since the famine, and this piece is written by a professor at Addis Ababa University.
(The Guardian)

Large-Scale Land Investments Book

This book entitled ‘The Governance of Large-Scale Farmland Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa’ is free to download. The book looks specifically at the host country governance in Africa, so as to better understand the regulatory frameworks and challenges faced. The case study countries are Ghana, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Zambia.
(Farmlandgrab.org)

This news roundup has been collected on behalf of the China and Brazil in African Agriculture (CBAA) project.

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