Kerstin Nolte
Research Fellow at GIGA German Institute of Global and Area studies and PhD student at University of Göttingen, Germany. My research focuses on large-scale land acquisitions in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially the process of acquiring land and the institutional setting of target countries. Field research is carried out in Zambia, Kenya, and Mali. I hold a Diploma in Geography and a Bachelor in Economics from University of Göttingen. |
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Research on Land-grabbing:
Three Investment Cases in the Office du Niger Region in Mali: Insights into the Process of land-related Investments with a Focus on the Involvement of the Local Population
The project researches land-related investments in the Office du Niger (ON) region in Mali which accommodates the majority of land acquisitions in Mali. Whereas the Malian government claims that investors bring much needed development to the area, NGOs and civil society fear the exclusion of the local population. Whether these land acquisitions include the local population or benefit only few is indeed a crucial question addressed in this study. Drawing on semi-structured expert interviews with government officials, civil society, and investors and focus group discussions in three villages directly affected by investments, we focus on the actual investment process, especially the involvement of the local population. Thereby we shed light on actors and institutions involved in the process of leasing farmland in Mali’s ON. We put a special focus on sensitization and information of the population, displacements and compensations as to scrutinize in which extent the much acclaimed development trickles down to the population.
