Going public to improve investment in agriculture

The briefing examines the surge of foreign agricultural land investments since 2008 and the subsequent lack of transparency in host government contracts. It argues that secrecy undermines accountability and human rights, while highlighting countries like Liberia that have implemented transparency legislation to improve governance without deterring investment.

• A significant increase in foreign investment in farmland and water occurred in 2008, driven by a combination of the global food crisis, the biofuels boom, the financial crisis, and rising oil prices.
• World Bank data indicates that reported land deals in 2009 totaled 45 million hectares, with investors primarily targeting countries characterized by weak land governance or conflict and post-conflict status, including Sudan, Mozambique, Liberia, and Ethiopia.
• The prevailing culture of confidentiality regarding investor-state agreements undermines government accountability, increases corruption risks, and potentially threatens human rights related to information and access to land, water, and food.
• Some nations have adopted transparency measures; Liberia introduced the Liberia Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative Act in 2009 to publish operating contracts and licenses, while Ghana, East Timor, Peru, Ethiopia, and Ecuador have also begun making certain contracts public.

APA

Smaller, C. (2012). Going public to improve investment in agriculture. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/going_public_improve_investment_ag.pdf

Chicago

Smaller, Carin. Going public to improve investment in agriculture. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2012. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/going_public_improve_investment_ag.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Smaller |first1=Carin |title=Going public to improve investment in agriculture |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2012 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/going_public_improve_investment_ag.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{smaller2012going, author = {Smaller, Carin}, title = {{Going public to improve investment in agriculture}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2012}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/going_public_improve_investment_ag.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }