In the name of economic development: large-scale land acquisitions and women's food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa
Creators: name: Kaplan, Lauren
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2024

description: This dissertation investigates the intricate web of global dynamics that threaten the equilibrium of food supply and demand on a global scale. The convergence of rising food prices, population growth, increased demand for biofuels and feed, and the far-reaching effects of climate change has sparked renewed interest in large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The region’s abundant natural resources make it an appealing destination for commercial agriculture, attracting high levels of foreign investment, namely from emerging economies and multinational corporations. Investors perceive SSA as an untapped and/or underutilized source of opportunities and development prospects, particularly concerning access to, use of, and control over land and water resources for large-scale irrigation projects. While investors engage in LSLAs often to serve their own agendas, a significant proportion of SSA’s population is food insecure. As of 2020, the number of undernourished individuals in the region stood at approximately 262.2 million, contributing to a global total of 720 to 811 million undernourished people – an increase of up to 161 million from 2019 (FAO et al. 2021). This crisis disproportionately impacts women due to their compromised social, economic, and political status. While recent discussions on food security have focused on conflict, climate change, economic downturns, and COVID-19, the role of LSLAs and their repercussions on women’s food security remains underexplored. As such, this study addresses this gap by examining the relationship between LSLAs and women’s food insecurity, employing health-related indicators such as Body Mass Index (BMI), Prevalence of Anemia (PoA), and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) as analytical tools. The central argument of this study is that LSLAs significantly contribute to heightened levels of food insecurity among women in SSA. The descriptive findings of the study found that in SSA, between 2000 and 2021, there were a total of 482 individual (concluded) land deals, resulting in the total acquisition of twenty-six million two hundred eleven thousand seven hundred eighty-seven and sixty- nine hundredths (26,211,787.69) hectares. In addition, the results found a moderately strong (positive) correlation between maternal mortality rate and hectares grabbed per year, no correlation between body mass index (female) and hectares grabbed per year, a weak (positive) correlation between body mass index (males) and hectares grabbed per year, and a strong (positive) correlation between prevalence of anemia and hectares grabbed per year. Furthermore, in terms of the intervening variables, the study found a weak (negative) correlation between GDP and hectares grabbed per year, no correlation between global food prices and hectares grabbed per year, and a weak negative correlation between incidents of conflict and hectares grabbed per year. To further investigate the relationship between LSLAs and women’s food security in SSA, and to build upon the descriptive findings, the study utilized linear regression analysis. More specifically, the study investigated whether the following variables had significant impacts on the prevalence of anemia (no lag order, lag order of 1, and lag order of 2), body mass index (female and male), and maternal mortality rate: amount of hectares grabbed per year, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries value-added deflator (global food prices), incidents of conflict, and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Many of the regression models revealed some level of statistical significance, as illustrated in Chapter 4, and discussed in Chapter 5. Achieving a world without hunger and malnutrition by 2030 is out of reach for many countries throughout SSA (and the world at large), and thus, there is a dire need to highlight issues that have been undermined and/or overlooked in attempting to establish inclusive, contextually-located, ethical, and sustainable pathways forward. As such, this study aims to provide valuable insights into the multifaceted challenges facing women in SSA in the face of LSLAs and food insecurity and offers a foundation for evidence-based and informed policy interventions to effectively address this pressing issue on a globalscale.