Rising Global Interest in Farmland :Can it Yield Sustainable and Equitable Benefits?

Deininger, Klaus ; Byerlee, Derek ; Lindsay, Jonathan ; Norton, Andrew ; Selod, Harris ; Stickler, Mercedes

World Bank

关键词: ACCESS TO INFORMATION;    ACCOUNTABILITY;    ACID SOILS;    ACTUAL YIELDS;    AGRIBUSINESS;   

DOI  :  10.1596/978-0-8213-8591-3
RP-ID  :  59463

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Interest in farmland is rising. And,given commodity price volatility, growing human andenvironmental pressures, and worries about food security,this interest will increase, especially in the developingworld. One of the highest development priorities in theworld must be to improve smallholder agriculturalproductivity, especially in Africa. Smallholder productivityis essential for reducing poverty and hunger, and more andbetter investment in agricultural technology,infrastructure, and market access for poor farmers isurgently needed. When done right, larger-scale farmingsystems can also have a place as one of many tools topromote sustainable agricultural and rural development, andcan directly support smallholder productivity, for example,throughout grower programs. However, recent press and otherreports about actual or proposed large farmland acquisitionby big investors have raised serious concerns about thedanger of neglecting local rights and other problems. Theyhave also raised questions about the extent to which suchtransactions can provide long-term benefits to localpopulations and contribute to poverty reduction andsustainable development. Although these reports areworrying, the lack of reliable information has made itdifficult to understand what has been actually happening.Against this backdrop, the World Bank, under the leadershipof Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, along with otherdevelopment partners, has highlighted the need for goodempirical evidence to inform decision makers, especially indeveloping countries.