Synopses & Reviews
The subject of food security and land issues in Africa has become one of increased importance and contention over recent years. In particular, the focus has shifted to the role new global South donors - especially India, China and Brazil - are playing in shaping African agriculture through their increased involvement and investment in the continent.
Approaching the topic through the framework of South-South co-operation, this highly original volume presents a critical analysis of the ways in which Chinese, Indian and Brazilian engagements in African agriculture are structured and implemented. Do these investments have the potential to create new opportunities to improve local living standards, transfer new technology and knowhow to African producers, and reverse the persistent productivity decline in African agriculture? Or will they simply aggravate the problem of food insecurity by accelerating the process of land alienation and displacement of local people from their land?
Topical and comprehensive, Agricultural Development and Food Security in Africa offers fresh insight into a set of relationships that will shape both Africa and the world over the coming decades.
About the Author
Fantu Cheru received his PhD in Political Economy from Portland State University, USA. He is a socio-economist who specializes in rural development, small-scale enterprise environmental planning and resource management, urban and regional planning, participatory research methods, and institutional building and training.
Renu Modi is a Senior Lecturer and former Director (2008-2010) of the Centre for African Studies, University of Mumbai, India. She is a political scientist and has graduated from the Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi University. She received her PhD from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: peasants, the state and foreign direct investment in African agriculture - Fantu Cheru and Renu Modi
Part I: Overview
1. Catalysing an agricultural revolution in Africa: what role for foreign direct investment? - Fantu Cheru, Renu Modi and Sanusha Naidu
2. Agrarian transformation in Africa and its decolonisation - Sam Moyo
Part II: India
3. India and Africa: new trends in sustainable agricultural development - Gurjit Singh
4. India's strategy for African agriculture: assessing the technology, knowledge and finance platforms - Renu Modi
5. Up for grabs: the case of large Indian investments in Ethiopian agriculture - Dessalegn Rahmato
6. Indian agricultural companies, 'land grabbing' in Africa and activists' responses - Rick Rowden
Part III: Brazil
7. Brazil's cooperation in African agricultural development and food security - Thomas Cooper Patriota and Francesco Maria Pierri
8. Brazil, biofuels and food security in Mozambique - Kai Thaler
9. South-South cooperation in agriculture: the India, Brazil and South Africa Dialogue Forum - Alexandra Arkhangelskaya and Albert Khamatshin
Part IV: China
10. China's food security challenge: what role for Africa? - Simon Freemantle and Jeremy Stevens
11. China's agricultural and rural development: lessons for African countries - Xiuli Xu and Xiaoyun Li
12. Conclusions and the way forward - Fantu Cheru and Renu Modi