Owners of business for profit in another country other than their own country of origin. For example, foreign investors acquire large tracts of land in foreign countries for the purpose of farming for export.
Published in Chapter:
Foreign Land Acquisitions, Corruption, and Sustainable Livelihood in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Cases of Mozambique and Tanzania
James E. Conable (Lund University, Sweden)
Copyright: © 2015
|Pages: 25
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-7405-9.ch012
Abstract
This chapter investigates the link between foreign land acquisitions and corruption and its implications for sustainable livelihoods in two countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania. The leading question is, Does foreign land acquisition provide support for sustainable livelihoods or threaten it and why? The findings reveal that foreign land acquisition provides the prospect to build the capacity necessary for the development of Mozambique and Tanzania, but the local communities that host biofuel industries are being exploited and their livelihoods threatened due their marginalization in the land transactions. At a glance, it appears as if land deals are transparent, communities, governments, and foreign investors reach a negotiated settlement that benefits all sides, but land deals are being facilitated by power dynamics, corruption, community cohesion, and promises without fulfillment. Therefore, given local communities equal opportunity to influence land deals will create the environment necessary for cooperation, fulfillment of promises, national development, and improve livelihood opportunities.