Africa has been at the centre of a "land grab" in recent years, with investors lured by projections of rising food prices, growing demand for "green" energy, and cheap land and water rights. But such land is often also used or claimed through custom by communities. What does this mean for Africa? In what ways are rural people's lives and livelihoods being transformed as a result? And who will control its land and agricultural futures?

Para que esta publicação possa cumprir seu propósito, é necessário entender a importância do controle social para a formulação e implementação de políticas públicas no Brasil e sua ligação com aconstrução de uma sociedade democrática.

El Observatorio del Cambio Rural (OCARU), en diálogo con organizaciones campesino e indígenas, elaboró esta cartilla de discusión, como una herramienta que contribuya al debate crítico sobre los cambios en la normativa, el modelo y los actores del mundo rural. En este documento se analiza la Ley Orgánica de Tierras Rurales Productivas como una entrada para reflexionar sobre el caracter del modelo de desarrollo agrario que propone la Revolución Ciudadana. 

In early 2015, Maasai and Datoga citizens living in the Morogoro region of Tanzania were victims of deadly, ethnic violence. According to reports from local media, the assaults were instigated by public figures interested in acquiring land, and state authorities have not intervened to protect Maasai citizens. Police protection has instead been given to others who are illegally cultivating officially registered Maasai land. 

This paper uses farm panel data from
China to examine the dynamics of land transactions, machine
investments, and the demand for machine services. Recently,
China's agriculture has experienced a large expansion
of machine rentals and machine services provided by
specialized agents, which has contributed to mechanization
of agricultural production. The empirical results show that
an increase in nonagricultural wage rates leads to expansion

This paper presents what is known about the role of agrarian reform and the subsequent counter reform in producing a successful dynamic evolution of Chilean agriculture.

Ideally, poverty indicators improve because poor people’s livelihoods are improved. They can, however, also improve
because poor people are expelled from the territory. This article explores the case of the cattle region of Chontales, Nicaragua, which
during 1998–2005 experienced economic growth and declining poverty rates, spurred by investments and organizational development.
The article argues that in the absence of pro-poor coalitions, these investments facilitated the return and strengthening of the local elite

Communal lands are central to the livelihoods of many Tanzanians, particularly to pastoralists and hunter-gatherer groups. But a number of factors can undermine the security of these lands remaining ‘communal,’ in turn threatening the livelihoods of many people and cultures. This brief sets out a new mechanism for strengthening community land rights by securing local tenure through acquiring a Certificate of Customary Right of Occupancy (CCRO).

Zambia Agriculture Development Goal:

Reduce poverty through broadbased income growth for those in the agricultural sector

Zambia’s Economic Achievements:

Classified as low-middle income by World Bank
 GDP growing at 6% per annum
 Agricultural growth rate at 7%, above 6% CAADP Goal
 Three consecutive maize bumper harvest years

After more than two decades of agrarian change in Tajikistan, farming structures seem to crystallise. The first signs towards farm individualisation were observed only around 2000, which were the result of significant pressure from outside, when the post-conflict state was highly susceptible to pressure from multilateral institutions. Over time, striking differences in agrarian structures have emerged nation-wide; from highly fragmented, autonomous farms, to elite-controlled large-scale cotton farming.

É cada vez mais forte a percepção das populações, de governos e de instituições internacionais de que a humanidade não pode continuar a ser empurrada para o precipício, com as políticas das últimas décadas, de intensificação da produção agropecuária e florestal e o aumento do poder hegemónico de grandes companhias multinacionais da indústria e da distribuição, que controlam a produção e detêm cada vez mais terra, provocando o esgotamento de recursos naturais, acidentes climáticos, pragas e doenças, desertificação de muitas regiões, fome e subnutrição, esvaziamento e asfixia de economias loc

This Africa's pulse newsletter
includes the following headings: Sub-Saharan African
countries continue to grow at a steady pace; the
region's decade-long economic expansion appears
sustainable; and for newly resource-rich countries, strong
governance will be key to harnessing resource wealth for development