generally associated with many of these investments. LSLAs for biofuel feedstocks
have been highly controversial in many parts of SSA, raising many concerns over
their environmental and social performance.
This chapter focused on Italian investors that have been involved in over
25 LSLAs across SSA, most of which were geared towards the production of biofuel
crops to meet the targets set by the EU Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC).
Even though the EU RED has acknowledged certain sustainability criteria for
feedstock production and identified various SCL schemes that can play a major
role in addressing them, many important issues related to LSLAs have not been
considered sufficiently.
The adoption of SCL schemes by Italian investors involved in SSA is quite poor.
This raises important concerns about the sustainability of biofuel feedstock production geared towards the Italian market. It is not clear why the adoption of SCL
schemes is so low, but it might be due to a combination of factors related to its
voluntary nature and the maturity of the investments. Considering the above, the
scope of SCL schemes must both expand and be enforced more strongly to ensure
that the negative sustainability impacts of LSLAs in SSA are minimised.
References
ACCREDIA (2012) Prescrizioni per l’accreditamento degli Organismi che rilasciano certificati di
conformità a fronte del Sistema Nazionale di Certificazione della sostenibilità dei biocarburanti
e dei bioliquidi. Regolamenti Tecnici RT-31 rev.00. ACCREDIA Dipartimento Organismi di
Certificazione ed Ispezione
Ahmed A, Campion B, Gasparatos A (2017) Biofuel development in Ghana: policies of expansion
and drivers of failure in the jatropha sector. Renew Sust Energ Rev 70:133–149
Ahmed A, Campion B, Gasparatos A (2019) Towards a classification of the drivers of jatropha
collapse in Ghana elicited from the perceptions of multiple stakeholders. Sustain Sci
14:315–339
Ahmed A, Kuusaana ED, Gasparatos A (2018) The role of chiefs in the political economy of largescale land acquisitions in Ghana: insights from the jatropha sector. Land Use Policy., In Press.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.04.033
Allan JA, Keulertz M, Sojamo S, Warner J (2013) Handbook of Land and Water Grabs in Africa.
Foreign direct investment and food and water security. IB Tauris, Abingdon
Anseeuw W, Lay J, Messerli P, Giger M, Taylor M (2013) Creating a public tool to assess and
promote transparency in global land deals: the experience of the Land Matrix. J Peasant Stud 40
(3):521–530
Antonelli M, Siciliano G, Turvani ME, Rulli MC (2015) Global investments in agricultural land and
the role of the EU: drivers, scope and potential impacts. Land Use Policy 47:98–111
Arezki R, Deininger K, Selod H (2013) What drives the global “land rush”? World Bank Econ Rev
29(2). 2015:207–233. https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/lht034
Arndt C (2010) Biofuels, poverty, and growth: a computable general equilibrium analysis of
Mozambique. Environ Dev Econ 15(1):81–105
Borras S, Kay C, Gomez S, Wilkinson J (2012) Land grabbing and global capitalist accumulation:
key features in Latin America. Can J Dev Stud Can d’études du développement 33:402–416
4 Large-Scale Land Acquisitions in Sub-Saharan Africa and Corporate Social. . .
155
have been highly controversial in many parts of SSA, raising many concerns over
their environmental and social performance.
This chapter focused on Italian investors that have been involved in over
25 LSLAs across SSA, most of which were geared towards the production of biofuel
crops to meet the targets set by the EU Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC).
Even though the EU RED has acknowledged certain sustainability criteria for
feedstock production and identified various SCL schemes that can play a major
role in addressing them, many important issues related to LSLAs have not been
considered sufficiently.
The adoption of SCL schemes by Italian investors involved in SSA is quite poor.
This raises important concerns about the sustainability of biofuel feedstock production geared towards the Italian market. It is not clear why the adoption of SCL
schemes is so low, but it might be due to a combination of factors related to its
voluntary nature and the maturity of the investments. Considering the above, the
scope of SCL schemes must both expand and be enforced more strongly to ensure
that the negative sustainability impacts of LSLAs in SSA are minimised.
References
ACCREDIA (2012) Prescrizioni per l’accreditamento degli Organismi che rilasciano certificati di
conformità a fronte del Sistema Nazionale di Certificazione della sostenibilità dei biocarburanti
e dei bioliquidi. Regolamenti Tecnici RT-31 rev.00. ACCREDIA Dipartimento Organismi di
Certificazione ed Ispezione
Ahmed A, Campion B, Gasparatos A (2017) Biofuel development in Ghana: policies of expansion
and drivers of failure in the jatropha sector. Renew Sust Energ Rev 70:133–149
Ahmed A, Campion B, Gasparatos A (2019) Towards a classification of the drivers of jatropha
collapse in Ghana elicited from the perceptions of multiple stakeholders. Sustain Sci
14:315–339
Ahmed A, Kuusaana ED, Gasparatos A (2018) The role of chiefs in the political economy of largescale land acquisitions in Ghana: insights from the jatropha sector. Land Use Policy., In Press.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.04.033
Allan JA, Keulertz M, Sojamo S, Warner J (2013) Handbook of Land and Water Grabs in Africa.
Foreign direct investment and food and water security. IB Tauris, Abingdon
Anseeuw W, Lay J, Messerli P, Giger M, Taylor M (2013) Creating a public tool to assess and
promote transparency in global land deals: the experience of the Land Matrix. J Peasant Stud 40
(3):521–530
Antonelli M, Siciliano G, Turvani ME, Rulli MC (2015) Global investments in agricultural land and
the role of the EU: drivers, scope and potential impacts. Land Use Policy 47:98–111
Arezki R, Deininger K, Selod H (2013) What drives the global “land rush”? World Bank Econ Rev
29(2). 2015:207–233. https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/lht034
Arndt C (2010) Biofuels, poverty, and growth: a computable general equilibrium analysis of
Mozambique. Environ Dev Econ 15(1):81–105
Borras S, Kay C, Gomez S, Wilkinson J (2012) Land grabbing and global capitalist accumulation:
key features in Latin America. Can J Dev Stud Can d’études du développement 33:402–416
4 Large-Scale Land Acquisitions in Sub-Saharan Africa and Corporate Social. . .
155