Accès au foncier et relations de pouvoir: l’enchâssement des acquisitions foncières à grande échelle au Mozambique

Mathieu Boche and Ward Anseeuw

Géographie, économie, société, 2017, vol. 19, issue 3, 377-401

Abstract: In spite of an abundant literature, large-scale land acquisitions are generally considered as exogenous elements to the territories in which they occur. Most of the analyses focus, indeed, on the consultation process and on the legal recognition of local populations? land rights. This approach does not allow for a complete understanding the complexity of the phenomenon, particularly the social embeddedness of these acquisitions. Based on an empirical study of large-scale land acquisitions in Mozambique, this article analyses the modalities of land acquisition by investors and illustrates the principles of reciprocal influence between these investment projects and land governance. State representatives at different levels and national elites are generally in competition to benefit from these investment opportunities. Aware of these ?bundle of powers?, the investors use them in different ways to facilitate their access to land. It is also used by the State to reaffirm its authority over land allocation. This process is generally in detriment of the protection of land rights of local communities, favouring the development of large-scale land investment projects.

Keywords: large-scale land acquisitions; land governance; investment models; power relations; legal and institutional pluralism; Mozambique (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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