Responsible governance of land tenure in the context of agricultural investment from theory to Practice: Lessons from Ethiopia

Abstract

Following the 2007 and 2008 global food crisis, emphasis has been placed on large-scale acquisition and transfer of land for agricultural investment to foreign and domestic investors from the global south as a strategy to address food shortages. Worldwide promotion for large scale agricultural investment has again resulted in land grabbing in the global south with potential threats to the land rights and livelihoods of smallholder farmers or local communities. This situation has opened a room for discussion on how to improve governance or administration of agricultural investment land so that the land rights and livelihoods of smallholder farmers or local communities and other vulnerable groups are protected. As a result, the idea of responsible governance of land gained significant attention and various guidelines and frameworks have also developed and endorsed to promote responsible governance of agricultural investment land at global level. As a result, the purpose of this study is to analyze and understand the attention paid to promote responsible governance of land in the context of agricultural investment in Ethiopia. This study has employed a mixed research approach by using both quantitative and qualitative data collected from three case study regional states in Ethiopia. It primarily discusses the practice of land acquisition and transfer for agricultural investment purposes from the perspective of responsible governance of land. The findings of this study show that agricultural investment practices in Ethiopia significantly deviate from the principles of responsible governance of land. The conventional state controlled land acquisition and transfer of agricultural investment lands is more prevalent practice, with little emphasis to local community interests and environmental demands. Finally, this study has advised introduce and promote responsible governance of land as a way out to safeguard local communities’ interests and environmental concerns in the context of agricultural investment in Ethiopia.