"Tanzania sugar project leaves bitter taste for farmers caught up in land disputes"

Per Carstedt, executive chairman of the Swedish company Agro EcoEnergy, has a vision for a shrubby tract of land on the north Tanzanian coast. Under his firm’s plan, farmers who once depended on subsistence work will earn wages on a sugarcane plantation or from selling sugarcane they grow to a planned processing facility...But...land disputes, caused by a lack of clear regulation and information, have stymied Agro EcoEnergy’s plans. There has also been criticism from activists who do not believe large-scale farming is the answer to Africa’s food security challenges.

Agro EcoEnergy’s Tanzania project has been stalled for years because of a row over the relocation and compensation of farmers living on the earmarked land. Frustrated by repeated delays, one of the original key investors – the Swedish International Development Agency – dropped out this year.

Carstedt is adamant that large-scale farming projects are central to meeting Africa’s rising food needs. Citing UN projections that future population growth will be driven by African countries, he spoke of “a race against the clock”.