Private Investments and Agriculture: The importance of integrating sustainability into planning and implementation

By Livia Bizikova, Published by IISD, December 2016

Agriculture is often a significant source of livelihoods and food security for people in many countries. Recently, we have seen an increase in large-scale investment into agriculture. Important policy questions are: To what do extent these large-scale agricultural investments contribute to improving local livelihoods, and economic and environmental conditions? And how do these contributions compare with needed investments in agriculture to reduce rural poverty and food insecurity? This briefing note examines some dimensions of these questions, focusing on the following areas: impacts on water quantity, land and soil quality, land tenure and community benefits, and off-farm migration. Available at http://www.IISD.org/library/private-investments-and-agriculture-importance-integrating-sustainability-planning.