Large Scale Lands and Benefit-Sharing Conundrum: Insights from

Abstract

The increasing trend of large-scale land investments by both local and international investors has had a significant impact on agricultural production in rural Africa over the past two and a half decades. Some of the investments have had transformative impacts, while others have resulted in negative outcomes. The outcomes of these projects are typically contingent on the unique circumstances of each case. This research article discusses the findings of a study conducted on the Galana Kulalu Food Security Project (GKFSP) in Galana Kulalu, Tana River County, Kenya. The Kenyan government to address food security challenges in the country and the surrounding region established the GKFSP. Given the historical marginalization of rural communities in Tana River County and their limited access to benefits from large-scale investments in land in the county, as well as the influence of commercial and political interests on land utilization and livelihoods, this study aimed to analyze benefit sharing from GKFSP within the context of large-scale land deals. The analyses of findings in this article rely on the primary data collected through key informant interviews and focus group discussions from, as well as observations of, key stakeholders in a purposively selected case study of GKFSP, particularly members of the communities neighboring the project as well as government and civil society representatives. Secondary sources of data involving land deals were also used to complement primary data from the study. Findings from the study highlight the importance of adopting responsive policies when entering into large-scale land deals to ensure equitable benefit sharing among different stakeholders, including the investors, local communities, and other relevant institutions. Failure to do so could lead to conflict dynamics that hinder project implementation and may even cause the failure of such land deals, leading to high turnover of investors and apathy within the local communities. Although it is acknowledged that large-scale land deals may result in lower profits compared to alternative investments, it is contended that the limited or absent sharing of benefits between investors and local communities and other stakeholders in relation to land deals is not solely attributable to the lack of profitability generated by the investments. Other factors that may be peculiar to each project are often at play, and these should be analyzed to form part of the negotiations involving large-scale land investments and benefit sharing.

Keywords

• large scale land investment projects
• benefit sharing
• Galana Kulalu
• Tana River
• Kenya