Week 6- land and food security Flashcards
What are the different types of land ownership
Formal: titles, registered
informal: intra households, transferred among the men, unregistered and undocumented
Land grabbing
The buying or leasing of large pieces of land by domestic and transnational companies, governments, and individuals
Types of land grabbing in terms of food bio and non food
food to food, food to biofuel, food to non food
whose land and major concerns
Usually the rural poor.
Food insecure households.
Women (they often do not hold formal titles to their lands).
Grab women’s land & pay compensation to their husbands (why is this a problem?).
Fair compensation: money paid represent the value of the land? Big NO!
“Grab” – oftentimes, there is no consultation with the property owners.
Foreign investors deal only with local/traditional leaders.
Minimal consultation in other cases (only 1 or 2 meetings).
Compensation – goes to government officials and elites.
Landlessness/displacement – poverty and rural out-migration.
after math land grabbing
Employment – planation-style farming; low wages; wages smaller than own-account farming.
Employment privileges men and not women.
Employment is in the form of skilled labour.
Neocolonialism?
farming systems
Two broad farming systems are recognized in Africa:
Commercial/Industrial Farming
Traditional/ Indigenous Farming System
The differentiation between the commercial and traditional farming systems is based on:
Type of equipment
Size of land
Soil fertility management practices
Type of labour
Seed varieties, etc.
Both farming systems are dynamic. They respond to changes in the social, economic, political and environmental conditions of an area.
- Traditional Farming Systems in Africa
Solely for subsistence.
Extensive use of land.
Minimal technology; human labour substantial.
Farm tools are simple (hoe, machete, axe, and several kinds of digging tools, such as dibble stick).
Heavy reliance on local knowledge.
Types of traditional farming systems:
Shifting Cultivation- moving to another plot when exhausted nutrients
Slash and Burn Agriculture- vegetation is cleared using fire
Intercropping- planting two or more at once
Rotational Bush Fallow- staying in a place for 2 years and moving to a place with good soil
Permanent Farming
Compound Farming- cultivation between the walls
Mixed Farming - both live stock and plants
Pastoralism
Nomadism
Transhumance
What is food security
Food Security is a situation where all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life (Food Agricultural Organization, 1996).
Does africa need a green revolution
Yes: use GMO plants and use machinery fertilizers and pesticides
No: The green revolution is costly and we should instead focus of land reform enhancing land tenure and promoting traditional farming
