WHO GETS WHAT, WHEN AND HOW? New Corporate Land Acquisitions and the Impact on Local Livelihoods in Uganda Ilse Zeemeijer Who gets What, When and How? New Corporate Land Acquisitions and the Impact on Local Livelihoods in Uganda By Ilse Zeemeijer Masterthesis Leiden, December 2011 Student number: 3485064 Supervisor: Prof. Dr. E.B. Zoomers International Development Studies Department of Human Geography Faculty of Geosciences Utrecht University [email protected] Copyright Zeemeijer, I.M. 2011 All rights reserved Who gets What, When and How? 2 ABSTRACT Is the private sector able to contribute to development? And if yes, what should be their approach and how do they collaborate with the other actors involved? More importantly, how do investors acquire land and what is the impact of these land acquisitions on local livelihoods? This research asked the question: What are the main characteristics of new corporate land acquisitions in Uganda and what is the impact on the local livelihoods? Six recent investments in Uganda were selected and for each of the investments semi-structured and in-depth interviews were conducted with the relevant actors involved. This research will present the findings in terms of compensation, employment, which varies for all the investments, investments in (market/physical) infrastructure and will discuss other positive and negative impacts. The main findings are that: (1) there is a gap between the information that is known in international reports on ‗land grab‘ and the reality; (2) most new corporate land acquisitions that are operational now, are Ugandan companies and not foreign; (3) the selected new corporate land acquisitions are different in their structure and partnerships, from public- private partnership, outgrowers‘ scheme, to independent companies who don‘t have any agreements with other actors; (4) various actors are involved in new corporate land acquisitions, on all levels. In Uganda, the national actors appear to be most dominant; (5) two of the six selected investments have land disputes and are currently being handled in court; (6) corporate social responsibilities are often not specified in binding and transparent contracts, and the concept of benefit-sharing is not yet put in practice; and (7) although opinions differ on the various impacts, this research clearly shows that it is not a black and white story, as is often presented either by the investor or NGOs. Keywords: ‗land grab‘, agriculture, private sector, investments, public-private partnerships, outgrower scheme, Corporate Social Responsibility, Uganda. New Corporate Land Acquisitions and the Impact on Local Livelihoods in Uganda 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Exactly one year ago, I was preparing myself for the adventure of conducting research in Uganda. I had the same kind of adrenaline that is rushing through my body right now; the adrenaline that tells you that you are about to start a new period and have to say goodbye to another. Last year I realized I would go to an unknown country for five months and, minor detail, all by myself. At this moment, one year later, I realize this thesis will mark the end of my life as a student and is the beginning of my professional career. Last year I started my research with five simple questions. I wanted to find out who, what, when, why and how ‗land grab‘ takes place in Uganda. However, where to start? Although there is a lively international debate on this topic, exact details and information appeared to be lacking. I realized it would take some time to find the answers. These answers were not coming from the official authorities in Uganda, but from the people in the field. From the managing director and district officer to a catholic priest and farmers in a village, I would like to thank all those people that I‘ve met during my fieldwork in Kampala, Mbarara, Bugala Island, Masindi, Mubende, Lira, Gulu and Amuru. Although not everyone was eager to speak to us at once, in the end we managed and gathered a lot of valuable information from a wide range of actors. ‗We‘ is Sam Tumugarukire Musirika, Programme Officer Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Uganda Land Alliance and me. The Uganda Land Alliance, especially Esther Obaikol, Sam and other colleguaes, were willing to be my host organization and without their support this research would not have been possible. Although the result of the research and fieldwork is presented in this thesis, I know that the people that have participated in my research not only told their story to me - just a curious student from Utrecht University - but also to Sam and therefore the Uganda Land Alliance. This means that the information we‘ve gathered actually did not leave Uganda and will hopefully contribute to the work of the Uganda Land Alliance and future research. I would also like to thank my supervisor, Annelies Zoomers, for giving me the trust and freedom to conduct this research in my own way. Due to her enthusiastic lectures in the beginning of the master I decided to choose this topic for my research. With my background in Political Sciences and future training in journalism, this research on ‗land grab‘combined the best of three worlds: politics, development issues and sometimes even investigative journalism – which is not always the easiest combination. Who gets What, When and How? 4 I would also like to thank Joost. While I was in Uganda, Joost was conducting his research in Tanzania. We had to bridge 612 kilometers, but distance appeared to be relative. I had the best possible ‗neighbour‘ I could wish for. I also have to thank my family, especially Ria, Sieger, Joël, and friends for their support. Although I was far away, they always felt close. Furthermore, when I came home everyone understood that writing a thesis is not always the most social activity. Luckily, they were always willing to listen to all my frustrations, breakthroughs, complaints and hopefully soon celebrations as well! Furthermore, I would like to thank Marc and Stefan for their tips and enthusiastic stories about Uganda, and Arne and Juliet, who made me feel at home in Uganda. Last but not least, I would like to thank all fellow IDS students. Not only did we have a great time during the short holiday in Tanzania, we also supported eachother online while we were spread all over the world. Then the world is indeed a global village. It was also a nice experience to follow courses in Utrecht with a group of people that had a shared passtion for issues that matter. Now this thesis is finished, I hope it will give readers a better understanding in the processes that are going on in Uganda. However, although the aim of each research is to find an answer to the research question, I also hope that after reading this thesis even more questions will arise. We can only get a better understanding if we keep on asking questions. Especially in the debate on ‗land grab‘ we have to make sure that we know exactly that our arguments are based on detailed and up-to-date information, no matter how hard it is to get access to this information. The more people will ask questions, start a dialogue with all actors involved - from the farmer to the managing director - and share their information, the better we will truly understand what‘s going on and find our answers. Ilse Zeemeijer Leiden, December 2011 New Corporate Land Acquisitions and the Impact on Local Livelihoods in Uganda 5 CONTENT Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... 4 List of Maps ............................................................................................................................... 9 List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ 11 List of abbreviations ................................................................................................................. 13 Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 15 Structure of thesis ................................................................................................................. 18 Chapter 2. Theoretical Discussion ........................................................................................... 19 Land as an Asset ................................................................................................................... 19 Context: ‗Land Grab‘ ............................................................................................................ 21 Definition....................................................................................................................................... 21 Background ................................................................................................................................... 25 What‘s new? .................................................................................................................................. 29 Consequences ................................................................................................................................ 33 How to deal with these developments? ................................................................................. 38 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) ........................................................................................