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Paper short abstract:

This paper explores, from a political economy perspective, how domestic investors in northern Uganda have navigated land conflicts and managed to create good enough relations with local farmers and thereby created conditions for large-scale investments in agriculture in a conflict-ridden region.

Paper long abstract:

Northern Uganda has a huge potential for large-scale agricultural production, but large tracts of arable land remain underutilised a decade after the end the last war, partly because of lack of capital among local landowners and partly due to persistent conflicts over land.

The region has attracted interest from investors with capital and capacity for agricultural investments. However, some conflict-ridden high-profile investment cases have created an image of the north as a risky place to invest in, with regard to securing land and creating good relations with the local population.

The issue of land is sensitive after the war-induced large-scale displacement of a majority of the northern population. Land conflicts are common, both within families and between new landowners and local populations, and there are often accusations of political interference in land matters. In spite of all this, many agricultural investments have taken place, both plantation based and based on contract-farming schemes and both by domestic and foreign investors. This paper focuses on domestic investors, exploring how they have navigated the land issues and managed to create good enough relations with local landowners and farmers and thereby created conditions for large-scale investments in agriculture. The paper applies a political economy perspective, looking at both the economic side of the investment deals and the power relations between investors, local populations and ruling elites, with the aim of identifying favourable conditions for domestic investors playing a constructive role in developing agricultural production in a conflict-ridden region.