Missing the Big Picture in Challenging Africa’s “Land Grab” Narrative

Jan 4, 2016 | Chris Jochnick
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Who walks away from fertile agricultural land available to lease for as little as $1 per year per hectare? Recent reports indicate international investors are doing just that across sub-Saharan Africa. Investors began pouring into the continent with pockets full of cash and get-rich-quick dreams built on cheap, fertile, and readily available land during the food crisis of 2007 and 2008. What followed were heart-wrenching stories of conflict and displacement.