Foreign companies investing in Kenya produce luxury goods, such as long-stemmed roses, destined for wealthy industrialized countries.
Photo: Lilian Trechsel, CDE
Recent changes in the global agro–food–energy system, driven in part by consumption trends and climate change mitigation efforts, have led to renewed interest in agriculture and a rush to acquire land among international investors. Examples of these changes include the push for use of biofuels or increasing global consumption of meat and other high-cost foods. The broader impacts of these changes are not always clear and many assessments focus mainly on short-term effects at the local (case study) level, without relating them to the wider agrarian and socio-economic transformations that are now underway.
A large-scale irrigation system in Kenya.
Photo: Nora Lanari
Research focus and objective
The objective of this research project is to improve our understanding of how changes in the global agro–food–energy system affect countries in the global South, especially in Africa. Our research focuses on emerging agrarian investment patterns and how they are shaped by the changing global food system and national governance systems. We are investigating the impacts of changes on land management, agricultural production, food security, and various socio-economic outcomes (e.g. employment and livelihoods). Our analysis includes case studies in Madagascar, Mozambique, and Kenya.
