What is Foreign Land Acquisitions

The acquisition of vast tracts of land by private investors now referred to as land grabbing became a widespread phenomenon after 2007. The nature and magnitude of these acquisitions have led to widespread debate about its positive and negative impacts on local communities. This chapter provides recent empirical thinking on the implications of foreign land acquisitions in Africa. The chapter, among others, reveals that foreign land acquisitions have both positive and negative consequences for Africa. For instance, while it was widely demonstrated that it improves access to capital and technology for increased agricultural production, it was also noted by several scholars that the practice is denying peasants access to strategic resources in many local communities in Africa.