Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa

An international conference

5-7 March 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa

What are the implications of public and private agricultural investments for rural livelihoods, gender relations, and social difference?

This conference will bring together academia, government, private sector, civil society, rural organizations, and donor and development agencies to discuss what agriculture investments mean and how they can be made more responsible, inclusive and gender equitable.

Organising committee: Martha Osorio (FAO), Anna Rappazzo (FAO), Clara Park (FAO), Joan Kagwanja (UNECA), Emmanuel Sulle (PLAAS) and Ruth Hall (PLAAS).

Download the conference programme (pdf)


Latest articles

Report on Gender, Land & Investment conference published
Report on Gender, Land & Investment conference published
January 22, 2015 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
The conference report from the 2014 Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa conference has been published. The last few years have witnessed a dramatically renewed interest in Africa’s farmland, and the role of agricultural development has become more prominent

Conference recommendations
March 28, 2014 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
The Conference on Agricultural Investment, Gender & Land in Africa included four working groups who were given the task of producing recommendations for different ‘sectors’ of society. These recommendations suggest ways for different groups to address gender inequality in the

Storify: Agricultural Investment, Gender & Land
March 28, 2014 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
This Storify brings together photos, social media, articles and video to tell the story of the Agricultural Investment, Gender & Land in Africa conference. The event was discussed on Twitter by participants and others, and some of the key plenary

Blog commentary: Agricultural Investment, Gender & Land
March 28, 2014 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
The conference organisers and participants wrote a number of blog posts commenting on the themes of the conference. A list is below.

Background – Agricultural Investment conference 2014
Background – Agricultural Investment conference 2014
February 12, 2014 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
Conference on Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa - Towards inclusive, equitable and socially responsible investment Venue: Protea Hotel, Stellenbosch (Cape Town), South AfricaDate: 5 Mar 2014 to 7 Mar 2014 The conference aims to promote an open exchange

Video: Political Economy conference plenaries
Video: Political Economy conference plenaries
April 17, 2013 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
The six plenary sessions at the Political Economy of Agricultural Policy in Africa conference were filmed in their entirety. Watch the videos below to see debates on the BRICS, African co-operation, civil society and the policy process. The conference took

Video: participant interviews
Video: participant interviews
April 7, 2013 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
These short video interviews were filmed with participants at the Political Economy of Agricultural Policy in Africa conference. Participants interviewed include Arilson Favareto, Buba Khan, John Barrett, Lidia Cabral, Patience Mutopo, Nancy Kachingwe, Tamani Nkhono-Mvula and Ruth Oniang'o. The conference

Storify: Political Economy conference 2013
Storify: Political Economy conference 2013
March 19, 2013 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
During the Political Economy of Agricultural Policy in Africa conference, participants have been sharing information, comments and links with each other and the outside world over social media. Our Storify feed from the event (embedded in this page below) brings

Media competition: Winners announced
Media competition: Winners announced
February 27, 2013 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
We're delighted to announce the winners of our Africa-wide journalism competition on the politics and processes that influence agricultural investment in Africa. The winners are: Print category: Oluyinka Alawode (Nigeria) Audio category: George Kalungwe (Malawi) We had over 40 submissions

Online poll #2: Attracting young people to agriculture
March 15, 2012 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
During the Young People, Food and Agriculture conference, we are asking a series of questions on the role young people in Africa play in agriculture. FAC YPF poll #2 Poll #2 There was an error on your page. Please correct any

Voices from Senegal: interviews with young farmers
March 12, 2012 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
What do young people really think about farming? Under the FAC Young People and Agrifood Theme, Dr Mohamadou Sall of Cheikh Anta Diop University (Dakar, Senegal) interviewed young farmers who are working under the REVA Plan. The REVA Plan was

Blog: Urban myths and rural futures for Africa’s young people
Blog: Urban myths and rural futures for Africa’s young people
March 11, 2012 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
Are people in Africa really moving as much in one direction - into towns and cities - as is commonly believed? Ahead of our Young People, Farming and Food conference, John Thompson, Future Agricultures Consortium co-ordinator, has written a blog

Reading list: Young People, Farming and Food
February 14, 2012 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
If you are attending or interested in our Young People, Farming and Food conference, you may like to read some of the resources below. They are selected examples of the rich body of research and reporting on youth and farming

What do young people think about cocoa farming in Ghana?
What do young people think about cocoa farming in Ghana?
February 10, 2012 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
There is renewed interest in shoring up agriculture as an avenue to economic growth and, more broadly, to development on the African continent. This is evident in current policy and development discourses, in the budgetary and programmatic commitments of governments

Conference Programme
January 27, 2012 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
International Conference on the Political Economy of Agricultural Policy in Africa18-20 March 2013 - Roodevallei, Pretoria, South Africa Convened by the Future Agricultures Consortium (FAC) and the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) Organising Committee: Colin Poulton, Blessings

Media competition: winning entries
Media competition: winning entries
January 20, 2012 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
We're delighted to announce the winners of our Africa-wide journalism competition on young people, farming and food. We had over 40 submissions to the competition. The panel was all agreed in the winning entries according to the following criteria: 1.

General Call for Papers
General Call for Papers
June 29, 2011 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
Deadline 15 September 2011 The organizers invite papers that offer rigorous analysis from various critical perspectives around the topics and questions listed below. We also encourage comparative studies and welcome proposals for thematic panels. Co-organized and hosted by the Future

Ghanaian Student Call for Papers
Ghanaian Student Call for Papers
June 29, 2011 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
Deadline 15 September 2011 The organizers intend to have a panel of 4-6 presentations, selected on a competitive basis, from current or recently completed undergraduate and/or postgraduate students from Ghana. Conference costs for the selected presenters will be covered. Co-organized

FAC Discussion Paper – Future Farmers: Youth Aspirations, Expectations and Life Choices
FAC Discussion Paper – Future Farmers: Youth Aspirations, Expectations and Life Choices
June 21, 2011 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
Young people constitute a high and increasing proportion of the African population, with around 70 percent of the continent’s total population currently under the age of 30. Evidence suggests many young people are choosing not to pursue livelihoods in the

Background to the conference
Background to the conference
April 19, 2011 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
Agricultural development is back at the top of the development agenda in Africa. Ten years ago, the Maputo Declaration committed African governments to substantial increases in investment. Since then, 23 countries have completed country investment plans as part of the

Reframing the ‘young people – agriculture nexus’
Reframing the ‘young people – agriculture nexus’
February 3, 2011 / Agricultural Investment, Gender and Land in Africa
Are young people’s life aspirations and the vision of a dynamic agricultural sector in conflict? Policy interest in the ‘young people – agriculture nexus’ in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), when it is evident, is framed by a combination of narratives relating