Land-grabbing, Women and Food : An Investigation of Developmental Projects and Their Impact on Women’s Right to Food and Participation

There has been a surge in demand for arable land as a resource for agricultural production for food and energy purposes. This surge can be attributed to increases in global food prices, climate change, population pressure, and escalating energy prices. The search for land has given rise to the practice of large-scale land acquisitions (LSLA). Due to misconceptions and old colonial views of land in Africa, the continent has become the most targeted region for these land acquisitions. The establishment of these projects in Africa is justified in the name of development. Paradoxically, LSLA has left local communities, especially women, in a more disadvantageous position than before. This qualitative study explores and relates LSLA to the right to food and participation. The thesis also critically engages with SDG – 2 to examine if large-scale projects comply with the goal’s purpose. This thesis aims to investigate the phenomenon of LSLA and how they impact women’s right to food and participation. The author has used qualitative content analysis as a method and relied on peer-reviewed studies on women and land-grabbing in three different countries. Compared to the previous research, the thesis results showed that the impacts of LSLA are gendered and have had severe consequences on women and their access and right to food. The support for business interests that are permeated in SDG – 2 has, based on the cases examined, also exacerbated rather than alleviated hunger which does not comply with the purpose of the goal