La réponse mondiale à l’investissement étranger dans le secteur agricole

The document assesses the international response to the increase in agricultural land and water investments following the 2008 food crisis. It details various voluntary guidelines and principles established by intergovernmental bodies, international organizations, and the private sector, while also examining financial mechanisms designed to support smallholder farmers. The author notes that while a consensus exists on the need for responsible investment, most frameworks remain voluntary and lack enforcement mechanisms.

• The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) has led global responses through the 2012 Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure, which advocate for equitable access to land, fisheries, and forests regardless of formal registration. The CFS is also developing the Principles for Responsible Agricultural Investment in the Context of Food Security and Nutrition (RAI), expected for approval in October 2014.
• Africa's specific response to land investment is the Land Policy Initiative, adopted by African heads of state in 2009 and managed by the African Union, the African Development Bank, and the UN Economic Commission for Africa. While widely supported as an African-led process, it is criticized for being vague and difficult to implement due to a lack of specific guidance on the form of land laws and policies.
• Various international frameworks exist to guide investment, including the Principles for Responsible Agricultural Investment (PRAI) developed by the World Bank, FAO, IFAD, and UNCTAD, and the OECD's framework for mobilizing private investment. Additionally, the Ruggie Principles from 2011 address human rights in investment contracts, specifically arguing against broad stabilization clauses that freeze non-fiscal regulations related to health, safety, and the environment.
• Private sector initiatives, such as the 2011 Farmland Principles developed by financial investors, aim to make the global financial system more sustainable. Other industry-specific standards, such as the Equator Principles and roundtables on soy and palm oil, serve as tools to pressure companies to improve standards through the risk of public discredit.
• Financial mechanisms have been created to support smallholders, but they face significant criticism. The G8's New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition aims to lift 50 million people out of poverty by 2022 and mobilize $3.75 billion in private investment, but critics like Olivier De Schutter and Oxfam argue it lacks long-term vision for small farmers and prioritizes private sector environments over farmer needs.
• Other financial initiatives include GrowAfrica, which focuses on public-private partnerships and has seen over $3.5 billion in planned investments across eight countries, and the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP). The GAFSP is described as the best available instrument for supporting smallholders, though it is chronically underfunded due to a lack of G8 follow-up.

APA

Smaller, C. (2014). La réponse mondiale à l’investissement étranger dans le secteur agricole. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/global_response_foreign_investment_ag_fr.pdf

Chicago

Smaller, Carin. La réponse mondiale à l’investissement étranger dans le secteur agricole. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/global_response_foreign_investment_ag_fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Smaller |first1=Carin |title=La réponse mondiale à l’investissement étranger dans le secteur agricole |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/global_response_foreign_investment_ag_fr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{smaller2014rponse, author = {Smaller, Carin}, title = {{La réponse mondiale à l’investissement étranger dans le secteur agricole}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/global_response_foreign_investment_ag_fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }