Leder storskaliga landinvesteringar i jordbruk till hållbar utveckling? En fallstudie av projektet ProSavana i Moçambique
MoçambiqueStorskaliga landinvesteringarProSavanaHållbar utvecklingMozambiqueLarge-scale land investmentsProSavanaSustainable development
Large-scale land investments is not a new phenomenon, but increasing prices on food and agrofuels have inflated prices on land and has led to an enhanced interest in landinvestments from a range of different actors. The ProSavana project in the Nacala corridor in the Nampula province, northern Mozambique is a large-scale land investment with the purpose of establishing intensive commercial agriculture and is planned to be implemented this year (2013). The project is financed by Brazil and Japan in collaboration with the government of Mozambique. It is not quite clear how large-scale land investments affect the areas they are implemented in and how they can affect the possibilities for sustainable development in these areas. Both opportunities and problems can be observed within the social, economic and ecological dimensions of sustainable development. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts large-scale land investments may have on the economic, social and ecological aspects of sustainable development for the local population in developing countries, and also if it is a sustainable path to development. This paper is based on a qualitative literature study and the purpose is illustrated by a case-study of the ProSavana project in Mozambique. The results indicate that it is questionable if sustainable development can be reached in the area in the case of an implementation of ProSavana. The local population has had almost no involvement in the decision-making process and the economic profits derived from the project will mostly accrue to the foreign companies involved. The investment is likely to lead to a well-needed expansion of the infrastructure in the region, even though the negative consequences have the capacity to leave a more observable imprint. The expected consequences are displacements of the local population, a decline in biodiversity and decreased food security in the area