JUSTLAND - Just and Sustainable Return of Land to Communities

Millions of hectares of African lands have been acquired by investors in large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs).

While a substantial share of these deals is increasingly being canceled, very little attention has been paid to exploring the local dynamics and implications of project cancellations, including challenges and opportunities involved in returning previously acquired land to local communities.

Drawing on a land justice approach and applying a participatory research methodology combined with GIS mapping, this study assesses land use changes and livelihood opportunities deriving from canceled land deals in which land is returned to communities with varying degrees of support.

We focus on recent (and unfolding) experiences in Mozambique, where Green Resources, a major investor in the forestry sector has, in connection to project cancellation, piloted the return of hundreds of thousands of hectares to communities.

The research is timely and relevant in that it draws attention to changes in land use, land access, and prospects for enhancing land justice in the context of canceled LSLAs in the Global South.

Tapping into a diversity of sub-cases with different degrees of support given to communities, the study provides insights into the potential of these more “responsible” types of land deal cancellations to foster inclusive land and resource control, and improve local livelihoods.