It is in this context of multiple sustainability impacts and involved stakeholders
that many organisations have raised the need to ensure that LSLAs are pursued in a
‘responsible’ manner in SSA (Deininger and Byerlee 2011; Global Witness 2012;
HLPE 2011). Several initiatives have aimed to define what constitutes responsible
agricultural investments, including the Principles for Responsible Investment in
Agriculture and Food Systems (PRAI), the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible
Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests and the UN Global Compact
‘Food sustainability: A Guide for Private Sector Action’. CFS (2013) provides a
summary of such international initiatives aiming to define and promote responsible
agricultural investments. The EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) also sets
sustainability criteria that are not only taken into account when evaluating compliance with national targets but are also pre-conditions for eligibility for receiving
financial support.
Avoiding or minimising the negative and maximising the positive impacts of
LSLAs is a major sustainability challenge for many SSA countries. Achieving this
can ensure that SSA countries targetted for LSLAs can benefit from their competitive
advantages, without inadvertedly facing negative impacts on local communities and
the environment. Indeed addressing the sustainability challenges posed by LSLAs is
pivotal for attaining the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda
set by the United Nations in 2015. Engagement in responsible behaviour, including
the adoption of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices, in the context of
LSLAs is key for achieving different SDGs. This is especially true for those SDGs
related to environmental sustainability (e.g. clean water and sanitation (SDG 6),
affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), sustainable production and consumption
(SDG 12)), but also to social sustainability and equality, e.g. reduced inequality
(SDG 10) (Hopkins 2016).
Against this backdrop, the aim of this chapter is to explore the intersection of CSR
and LSLAs in SSA. In particular, we outline whether corporate social responsibility
(CSR) practices related to standard, certification and labelling (SCL) schemes can
ensure that land investments are conducted responsibly. We particularly scrutinise
LSLAs related to the production of biofuel crops as they can have significant impacts
on food security in target countries as outlined above (see also Chap. 3 Vol. 1). We
focus mainly on biofuel crops as they have dominated most of the current LSLA
debate in SSA
2 (see above), and Italian investors given their growing role in the EU
biofuel market. In particular, Italy is the second largest EU investor in SSA after the
UK, and has mainly been involved in investments related to energy crops. Furthermore, Italy is committed to obtain 17% of its total energy use from renewable
sources by the year 2020 (Directive 2009/28/EC). It is the third largest consumer
of biofuels after Germany and France (EurObserv’er 2014) and imports almost all
biofuel feedstock crops (Pignatelli and Clamentel 2006).
2 Even though the actual extent of LSLAs arising related to the EU biofuel market is relatively
moderate, their visibility in the current academic and policy debates is enormous. Similar concerns
are also relevant and for other LSLAs are related to food and afforestation-related land deals (Ecofys
2013).
140
M. Antonelli et al.
that many organisations have raised the need to ensure that LSLAs are pursued in a
‘responsible’ manner in SSA (Deininger and Byerlee 2011; Global Witness 2012;
HLPE 2011). Several initiatives have aimed to define what constitutes responsible
agricultural investments, including the Principles for Responsible Investment in
Agriculture and Food Systems (PRAI), the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible
Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests and the UN Global Compact
‘Food sustainability: A Guide for Private Sector Action’. CFS (2013) provides a
summary of such international initiatives aiming to define and promote responsible
agricultural investments. The EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) also sets
sustainability criteria that are not only taken into account when evaluating compliance with national targets but are also pre-conditions for eligibility for receiving
financial support.
Avoiding or minimising the negative and maximising the positive impacts of
LSLAs is a major sustainability challenge for many SSA countries. Achieving this
can ensure that SSA countries targetted for LSLAs can benefit from their competitive
advantages, without inadvertedly facing negative impacts on local communities and
the environment. Indeed addressing the sustainability challenges posed by LSLAs is
pivotal for attaining the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda
set by the United Nations in 2015. Engagement in responsible behaviour, including
the adoption of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices, in the context of
LSLAs is key for achieving different SDGs. This is especially true for those SDGs
related to environmental sustainability (e.g. clean water and sanitation (SDG 6),
affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), sustainable production and consumption
(SDG 12)), but also to social sustainability and equality, e.g. reduced inequality
(SDG 10) (Hopkins 2016).
Against this backdrop, the aim of this chapter is to explore the intersection of CSR
and LSLAs in SSA. In particular, we outline whether corporate social responsibility
(CSR) practices related to standard, certification and labelling (SCL) schemes can
ensure that land investments are conducted responsibly. We particularly scrutinise
LSLAs related to the production of biofuel crops as they can have significant impacts
on food security in target countries as outlined above (see also Chap. 3 Vol. 1). We
focus mainly on biofuel crops as they have dominated most of the current LSLA
debate in SSA
2 (see above), and Italian investors given their growing role in the EU
biofuel market. In particular, Italy is the second largest EU investor in SSA after the
UK, and has mainly been involved in investments related to energy crops. Furthermore, Italy is committed to obtain 17% of its total energy use from renewable
sources by the year 2020 (Directive 2009/28/EC). It is the third largest consumer
of biofuels after Germany and France (EurObserv’er 2014) and imports almost all
biofuel feedstock crops (Pignatelli and Clamentel 2006).
2 Even though the actual extent of LSLAs arising related to the EU biofuel market is relatively
moderate, their visibility in the current academic and policy debates is enormous. Similar concerns
are also relevant and for other LSLAs are related to food and afforestation-related land deals (Ecofys
2013).
140
M. Antonelli et al.