Land Grabbing: A Big Toll on Women Farmers – Case Study of Segou Region in Mali

Abstract

In the wake of multiple crises, including economic instability, food shortage, energy crisis, and climate change, African farmers’ land  relationships have undergone remarkable changes in recent years. These changes in land relationships were initially brought about by  the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) of the 1980s imposed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund on sub- Saharan African countries. These programmes encouraged governments to open their markets, especially in the agricultural sector, to  multinational companies, claiming that this would reduce poverty and foster economic growth. Further impetus for opening up markets,  particularly land markets, in the developing world was fuelled by the triple fnancial, oil, and food crises of the early 2000s. Based on this,  the government of Mali ceded thousands of  hectares of land to national and international companies ostensibly to address these  problems. Using data collected in the Ségou region of Mali from 2020 to 2022, this study surveys the long-term impact of government  decisions on women farmers in this region. Overall, the Malian government’s cessation of land to large companies has harmed small- scale women farmers. Most smallholders found themselves expelled from their farms in rural communities under the justifcation of  community development projects, or agro-industrial ventures, usually by force. Women shoulder the burden of land deals as their land  tenure access remains ragile under both statutory and customary tenure rights. Land withdrawal from small-scale women farmers who  play an essential role in agriculture as food producers, processors, and marketers inevitably impacts their agency in performing their  income-generating activities.