By emphasizing power disparities between the parties engaged in these land deals, media coverage of Chinese land investments in African agriculture frequently perpetuates notions of a “weak African state” and the “Chinese land grab.”

Are local people’s food security and land rights in Africa being threatened by Chinese land grabs?

Launched in 2007 as part of its larger “Going Out” strategy, China’s “Agriculture Going Out” policy was strengthened in 2013 by the Belt and Road Initiative. Chinese foreign direct investment in Africa increased from US$74.81 million in 2003 to US$4.99 billion in 2021 because to these initiatives. Nearly two-thirds of the US$1.67 billion investment in African agriculture by 2020 was aimed at cash crop cultivation. Zambia was one of the top ten African nations that received loans and foreign direct investment from China.

Chinese land theft is a fallacy, according to our research on Zambian agriculture. Rather, Chinese investors have favored various investment options based on Zambia’s unique land access, transfer, and control regulations for the three land tenure regimes.

The importance of land institutions is what unites the three categories of Chinese agricultural investments. These systems influence how foreign investment occurs and what effects it has, whether it is through central government regulations or traditional authority.

For rural development and land governance, each of the three models presents fresh possibilities as well as difficulties. These results are significant because they provide information about how land rights, livelihoods, and state formation will develop in African nations.

Following Zambia’s independence, the president held all of the country’s territory in trust for the people. According to the 1995 Lands Act, the nation continues to function under a dual land system today. Both private and public leaseholds are included in state land, which is overseen by the federal government. Conversely, customary land is still governed by traditional chiefs. Estimates of Zambia’s customary land range significantly from 94% to 54%, making it difficult to pinpoint the precise ratio of state and customary land.

Because each type of land is subject to different regulations governing foreign ownership and access, this tenure distinction is important because it influences the investment models that foreign investors pick.