Chapter 4
Large-Scale Land Acquisitions
in Sub-Saharan Africa and Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR): Insights from
Italian Investments
Marta Antonelli, Stefania Bracco, Margherita Emma Turvani,
and Antonio Vicario
4.1 Introduction
Since the mid-2000s, there has been a large interest in agriculture-based private and
public–private investments in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (Schoneveld
2014). This trend has been associated with the acquisitions of large tracts of
agricultural land through large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) such as (a) longterm leases that typically span between 55 and 99 years and/or (b) purchase agreements by private companies, state-owned companies, investment funds and public–
private partnerships. Such land deals involve a broad range of different stakeholders
during their distinct phases, including international investors, private interests in the
host countries, national government agencies and eventually local communities
(Onoja and Achike 2015). Investors involved in LSLAs either aim at producing
agricultural commodities or obtaining the ownership of successive stages of crop
value chains through vertical integration (Anseeuw et al. 2013).
Overall, since 2000, more than 26 Mha of agricultural land have been leased to
foreign investors globally, with SSA being a particularly popular investment destination (FAO 2012; Nolte et al. 2016). Schoneveld (2014) estimates that 563 LSLAs
Marta Antonelli and Stefania Bracco contributed equally to this work
M. Antonelli (*)
Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC), Lecce, Italy
S. Bracco
University of Gastronomic Sciences, Pollenzo, Italy
M. E. Turvani · A. Vicario
IUAV University of Venice, Venice, Italy
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
A. Gasparatos et al. (eds.), Sustainability Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa I,
Science for Sustainable Societies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4458-3_4
137
Large-Scale Land Acquisitions
in Sub-Saharan Africa and Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR): Insights from
Italian Investments
Marta Antonelli, Stefania Bracco, Margherita Emma Turvani,
and Antonio Vicario
4.1 Introduction
Since the mid-2000s, there has been a large interest in agriculture-based private and
public–private investments in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (Schoneveld
2014). This trend has been associated with the acquisitions of large tracts of
agricultural land through large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) such as (a) longterm leases that typically span between 55 and 99 years and/or (b) purchase agreements by private companies, state-owned companies, investment funds and public–
private partnerships. Such land deals involve a broad range of different stakeholders
during their distinct phases, including international investors, private interests in the
host countries, national government agencies and eventually local communities
(Onoja and Achike 2015). Investors involved in LSLAs either aim at producing
agricultural commodities or obtaining the ownership of successive stages of crop
value chains through vertical integration (Anseeuw et al. 2013).
Overall, since 2000, more than 26 Mha of agricultural land have been leased to
foreign investors globally, with SSA being a particularly popular investment destination (FAO 2012; Nolte et al. 2016). Schoneveld (2014) estimates that 563 LSLAs
Marta Antonelli and Stefania Bracco contributed equally to this work
M. Antonelli (*)
Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC), Lecce, Italy
S. Bracco
University of Gastronomic Sciences, Pollenzo, Italy
M. E. Turvani · A. Vicario
IUAV University of Venice, Venice, Italy
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
A. Gasparatos et al. (eds.), Sustainability Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa I,
Science for Sustainable Societies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4458-3_4
137