This document discusses how large-scale land acquisitions could impact transboundary water management. It notes that water is often not explicitly mentioned in land agreements but any use of water on acquired lands could affect shared river basins. The document examines cases in the Niger and Nile River basins and concludes that principles for responsible investment must acknowledge water needs and sustainable use to help regulate impacts on transboundary waters.

1. Land Acquisitions: How will they
impact Transboundary Waters?
Workshop on Responding to the Global Food Security Challenge
through Coordinated Land and Water Governance
A joint GWP-ILC-IWMI initiative
15-16 June, Pretoria, South Africa
Anton Earle
Director of the Africa Regional Centre
Stockholm International Water Institute

2. Outline of presentation
• Transboundary water context
• Land investments
• Land and water connection
• Conclusions

3. Study aimed to link impacts of land acquisition
on TWM
• More information on
the topic in this report:
– Jägerskog, A., Cascao,
A., Hårsmar, M. and
Kim. K., (2012), ”Land
Acquisitions: How Will
They Impact
Transboundary
Waters?”. Report Nr. 30,
SIWI, Stockholm
• Downloadable from:
www.siwi.org

4. Transboundary Water – the global picture

5. Framework for Analysis
Level Drivers Actors Benefits Impacts Status
Global
Regional /
Basin
National
Local
• Applied to two cases:
– Niger
– Nile

6. Drivers of investments in Land
• Following after global food crisis 2007-2008
• Lack of water and/or land (in investing countries)
• Relative abundance of water and land (in countries
where investments are happening)
• ’Real’ as well as ’perception’ of climate change
• Cheap labour, weak legislation in some production
countries
• State sovereignty, security; and control over supply
chains.

7. Problems/Challenges
• Lack of reliable data – scale of investments are unclear
• Water often ignored (or taken for granted)
• Costs-benefits accrue at different levels of scale – equity, poverty and
gender dimensions not considered
• What are the investments for:
– Local food?
– Food export?
– Energy (biofuels)?
– Mixed use development (dams for irrigation + hydro energy)?
– Or speculation (i. e not using land productively)?
• What water?
– Green,
– Blue,
– Transboundary.

9. International Principles
• ”Responsible Agro-Investments”, RAI principles form 2010
– FAO, IFAD and UNCTAD - focus on:
- Land
- Food security
- Transparency and participation
- Shared value
- Minimising risks
• Water implicitly recognised but not spelt out.
• UN Convention on Interntional Watercourses (1997) is not
clear about direct water use by outside actros. Article 6
Factors relevant to equitable and reasonable utilization:
– (b) The social and economic needs of the watercourse States concerned;
– (c) The population dependent on the watercourse in each watercourse State;

10. Key messages (1)
• Land investment is a water investment. Water is often
presumed to be included without explicitly being mentioned in
land lease agreements.
• Regional Economic Communities (RECs), River Basin
Organisations (RBOs) and regional organisations have little or
no role in the land acquisitions on record to date. Large land
deals will, however, very likely impact their mandate and ability
to function.
• The type of water (green water or blue water and the intensity
of its use) used for the land investments determines its effect
on transboundary water management.

11. Key messages (2)
• Water that is being used for irrigation in land leased by foreign
parties does not feature in the transboundary discussions in many,
if not all, shared basins.
• Cultural ties and migration plays a role, with links between
countries following historical patters (e.g. MIDROC Group of Saudi
Arabia has 6 projects in Ethiopia)
• Water needs should be put into the land acquisition contracts in
order to clarify the water requirements of the investors´projects
and to regulate their water use.
• Sustainable water use should be acknowledged explicitly in the
international standards for responsible agro-business investments.

12. Study aimed to link impacts of land acquisition
on TWM
• More information on
the topic in this report:
– Jägerskog, A., Cascao,
A., Hårsmar, M. and
Kim. K., (2012), ”Land
Acquisitions: How Will
They Impact
Transboundary
Waters?”. Report Nr. 30,
SIWI, Stockholm
• Downloadable from:
www.siwi.org

13. Anton Earle
Director of the Africa Regional Centre
Stockholm International Water Institute
Anton.earle@siwi.org