LDPI Working Paper 10. Drivers and actors in large-scale farmland acquisitions in Sudan
Abstract
This study analyses the political, economic and social impacts of the land and 鈥榲irtual water鈥� grab in Southern Sudan. The 鈥榲irtual water鈥� concept, which explains the absence of water wars through water embedded in agricultural imports, has been a major breakthrough in the study of the Middle Eastern water question. This paper shows how agricultural commodities in the form of virtual water are at the heart of Middle Eastern investors鈥� interests. The paper sheds light on investments in Southern Sudan, which are a form of water arbitrage by investing countries. The virtual extension of the investing countries鈥� Lebensraum into the recipient countries is part of a 鈥榥ew scramble鈥� over African resources 鈥� namely water resources. However, the risks of such investment activities lie in the social and environmental sphere with tribal conflicts and poor soil quality.
Citation
Keulertz, M. LDPI Working Paper 10. Drivers and actors in large-scale farmland acquisitions in Sudan. The Land Deal Politics Initiative, (2012) 23 pp.
Links