Land governance in Malawi: Lessons from large-scale acquisitions
Loading...
Date
2015
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape
Abstract
Over the past decade rural Malawians have witnessed a surge in
large-scale land acquisitions for commercial agriculture that threaten
their access, control and ownership of customary land. This policy
brief presents cases of such ‘land grabs’ related to the expansion of
out-grower schemes in Nkhotakota and Chikwawa districts.
The main reason why these processes have been controversial is
the weak legislation governing land resources in Malawi, which
has allowed foreign investors and their local partners to acquire
customary land without the consent of local people, who claim
the land as theirs. The research on which this policy brief is based
shows that the government’s Green Belt Initiative to promote
large-scale irrigated farming and its commitments to the G8’s New
Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition further accelerate land
concentration among local elites and expose many to landlessness
and food insecurity.
Description
Keywords
Land governance, Malawi, Acquisitions, Land scarcity, Poverty
Citation
Gausi, J. et al. (2016). Land governance in Malawi: Lessons from large-scale acquisitions. Policy Brief 40, Bellville: Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape