Land Investments, Food Systems Change and Democracy in Kenya and Mozambique

Koen Dekeyser

doi:10.17645/pag.v7i4.2101

Abstract

In Africa, food systems intersect with dynamics such as demographic growth, urbanisation, and climate change, as African food systems are key drivers of livelihood provision, development, and human-environment interactions. The governance of African food systems shapes how food systems are changing as a response to these dynamics, which will have important social, economic, and ecological impacts for generations of Africans. This article positions large land investments in food system changes in central Kenya and northern Mozambique based on a large-scale household survey and interviews, and uses these findings to debate the concept of food democracy. Large land investments contributed to more modern food systems, which impacted land availability, household’s engagement in agriculture, and supply chains. These changes shifted power and control in local food systems. But even in the ‘extreme’ example of land investments, local perspectives challenge what could, and could not, be included in a democratic food system.

Highlights

In Africa, food systems intersect with challenges such as demographic growth, urbanisation, and climate change, as African food systems are key drivers of livelihood provision, development, and human-environment interactions
The governance of African food systems shapes how food systems are changing as a response to these challenges, which will have important social, economic, and ecological impacts for generations of Africans
This article used Lang’s food democracy characteristics to reflect on the food system changes in the study areas, which in turn is used to discuss the concept of food democracy

Summary

Introduction

In Africa, food systems intersect with challenges such as demographic growth, urbanisation, and climate change, as African food systems are key drivers of livelihood provision, development, and human-environment interactions. The governance of African food systems shapes how food systems are changing as a response to these challenges, which will have important social, economic, and ecological impacts for generations of Africans. There are strong debates regarding different food governance approaches, each with varying degrees of inclusion and participation, that are likely to result in different food systems. Examples of such food governance debates include food sovereignty and food democracy. Shifting from traditional to modern food systems comes with wide-ranging economic, social, and ecological impacts, and with changed power relations between food system actors

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Conclusion