Projects

Project Profile: AFGROLAND

African Food, Agriculture, Land and Natural Resource Dynamics, in the context of Global Agro-Food-Energy System Changes

Who?

Principal Investigators: Ward Anseeuw, CIRAD UMR Art-Dev, France
Partners: Perrine Burnod, CIRAD UMR Tetis, France
Magalie Bourblanc, CIRAD UMR G-Eau, France
Eve Fouilleux, CIRAD UMR Moisa, France
Peter Messerli, CDE, University of Bern, Switzerland
Johann Kirsten, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Sheryl Hendriks, University of Pretoria, South Africa
John Annandale, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Lorenzo Fioramonti, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Mike Taylor, International Land Coalition, Switzerland
Henri Minnaar, NEPAD Business Foundation, South Africa
Sponsors: French National Research Agency, France
National Research Foundation, South Africa
Swiss National Science Foundation, Switzerland

What?

Full Project Title: African Food, Agriculture, Land and Natural Resource Dynamics, in the context of Global Agro-Food-Energy System Changes
Full Call Title: Food2013
Website: http://www.afgroland.net/Pages/default.aspx

Why?

Project Objective: The objective of the project is to analyze how global agro-food-energy system changes impact on the countries in the global South, namely in Africa, particularly with regard to sustainable land management, agricultural production and food security, socio-economic outcomes (such as employment and livelihoods), pressure on land and natural resources and, subsequently, the governance of the latter. Based on extensive empirical research and spatial analysis, and by resituating this research within a multi-dimensional and multi-scale approach, the project will endeavor to i) Identify the drivers of change within the global agro-food-energy systems, how they impact on, and in return are shaped by governance changes at the regional, national and local levels; ii) Better qualify the rush for land, by assessing and defining the different production and land-based investment models being developed; iii) Quantify and analyze these changes in terms of land and natural resource use and governance (land, water and soil) and assess the effects on sustainable soil ecosystem service provision; Evaluate how such changes impact on food security (with a focus on the large enterprises and smallholders) and/or on food access (employment creation, sustainable livelihoods) at the local/national level; Ensure cooperation across the key disciplines/WPs involved, as well as proactive dissemination strategies and a continuous exchange with stakeholders in the policy, civil society and business communities.
Call Objective: This call was designed to increase understanding of the dynamic spatial scale interactions between food security and land use. The focus was on the following topics:

- Land use change impacts on food systems
- Food systems dynamics as driver of land use changes
- Feedback loop interactions between land use change and food security dynamics

Where?

Regions: Africa
Countries: Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique

When?

Duration:
Call Date: 2013
Project Award Date: 2013