By Thea Hilhorst, Joost Nelen and Nata Traoré

Policy makers in Africa increasingly state that modernisation of agriculture requires “agro-business” investors, whereby family farms should make space and sell their labour. This discourse amplified following food prices rise in 2007, but contradicts official policy emphasising family farming. Members of the urban, national elites acquire large plots of land using their connections, powers and resources. Rumours on international investors looking for farmland accelerate this phenomenon. This paper analyses results of 2009/10 research into acquisition- and investment initiatives in rural areas of Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Who are those new actors, how did they obtain the land, under what conditions, and how are they investing? Secondly, what are the motives to transfer land and what are the consequences for the livelihoods for those who controlled and used the land. We draw conclusions for “modernisation”, agrarian change, and social relations. Finally, we will discuss local responses to regulate this phenomenon by customary authorities, local governments, civil society, as well as the role of landand investment law, environmental regulation and decentralisation policy.