The Emergence of Land Markets in Africa

CHAPTER 1

Land Markets and

Development in Africa

STEIN T. HOLDEN, KEIJIRO OTSUKA,

AND FRANK M. PLACE

he high rates of poverty and the need for sustainable growth and development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remain most acute in rural areas. Rural areas are home to nearly 85% of Africa’s poorest families and will continue to host the majority of poor for decades to come, in spite of expected urbanization trends. Identifying pathways for growth and investment inevitably point toward agriculture and land, most especially in the short to medium term (e.g., Commission for Africa 2005). There is increasing pressure to identify the strategies and mechanisms ...