Event Information

Sub-Saharan Africa, the most food insecure region of the world, also has the world's largest and cheapest supply of underutilized arable land. Despite this large supply, a growing proportion of the rural population is either landless or resides on farms under one hectare; is dependent on rain-fed agriculture in semi-arid conditions; and is increasingly vulnerable to pressures on customary authorities to relinquish land to non-local interests. Globally, rising demand for food, increased use of farmland for fuel, more extreme weather events, and reactive responses by rattled governments could quickly exhaust the world’s remaining arable land. How will rising global demand for agricultural land in Africa affect the continent's ability to address its central CAADP-related objectives of reducing hunger and promoting broad-based agricultural growth?

At this seminar, Thomas Jayne of Michigan State University will present new research findings from six African countries that will have major implications for future agricultural and land policy and investment programs in the region. Karol Boudreaux of USAID's Land Tenure and Property Rights Division will discuss how the U.S. Government is addressing land governance concerns as they relate to food security and agriculture, and will highlight the recent adoption of international guidelines on land tenure by the Committee on World Food Security at the FAO.