Contrats d’investissement dans l’agriculture : Maximisation des bénéfices et minimisation des risques

The report argues that carefully designed investment contracts can bridge gaps in national legislation to ensure that large-scale agricultural investments in developing countries promote sustainable development. Drawing on research from UNCTAD and the World Bank, it identifies five key benefits—such as job creation and the integration of local farmers—and five primary risks, including land loss and poor environmental management. The document outlines a three-stage contractual process (preparation, negotiation, and monitoring) and provides specific legal options, such as 'satellite plantation' clauses and community development agreements, to ensure investors meet their social and environmental obligations.

• Job creation is the primary benefit of large-scale agricultural investments, with a study of 39 projects showing the direct employment of approximately 39,000 people and 150,000 indirect jobs, often in rural areas with few formal alternatives.
• The 'satellite plantation' model, where local smallholders sell production to a larger plantation or processing unit, is identified as the most effective economic model for technology transfer and increasing rural incomes.
• A significant number of agricultural investments fail due to poor commercial viability assessments, with approximately half of the analyzed projects failing to generate profit or falling behind their operational schedules.
• The reduction of land access and poorly executed resettlement plans are the most significant negative impacts, often stemming from a failure to map official and informal land rights before signing contracts.
• Environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs) are frequently treated as superficial 'tick-box' exercises and are rarely integrated into binding contracts or operational plans.
• Lack of transparency and insufficient consultation with local populations lead to distrust and operational risks; the report recommends making contracts and annexes public documents.
• Broad 'stabilization clauses' that freeze national legislation are considered unacceptable as they may discourage governments from implementing new environmental or social laws.
• Local community development agreements, which can include funding for schools, health centers, and infrastructure, increase the financial and operational success of investments by creating a 'virtuous circle' of benefit sharing.

APA

C., S., W., S., H., M., N., B.-O., & G., D. (2015). Contrats d’investissement dans l’agriculture : Maximisation des bénéfices et minimisation des risques. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/world-bank-agri-investment-contracts-web-fr.pdf

Chicago

C., Smaller,, Speller, W., Mirza, H., Bernasconi-Osterwalder, N., and Dixie, G. Contrats d’investissement dans l’agriculture : Maximisation des bénéfices et minimisation des risques. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2015. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/world-bank-agri-investment-contracts-web-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=C. |first1=Smaller, |last2=W. |first2=Speller, |last3=H. |first3=Mirza, |last4=N. |first4=Bernasconi-Osterwalder, |last5=G. |first5=Dixie, |title=Contrats d’investissement dans l’agriculture : Maximisation des bénéfices et minimisation des risques |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=June 2015 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/world-bank-agri-investment-contracts-web-fr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{c2015contrats, author = {C., Smaller, and W., Speller, and H., Mirza, and N., Bernasconi-Osterwalder, and G., Dixie,}, title = {{Contrats d’investissement dans l’agriculture : Maximisation des bénéfices et minimisation des risques}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2015}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/world-bank-agri-investment-contracts-web-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }