7. Agro-Industrial Mega-Land Deals in Sierra Leone: Beyond the Rhetoric of Beneficiation, Employment and Economic Development

Following the surge in global food prices in 2007/2008, the Government of Sierra Leone facilitated large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) for sugar cane and oil palm plantations on behalf of transnational agribusiness firms. Commonly referred to as “land grabs,” large-scale land acquisitions are promoted by agribusiness and governments alike as a strategy for agricultural transformation, job creation, and economic development. The extent to which large-scale land acquisitions can meet such claims is a key debate in the literature. This chapter aims to provide a nuanced understanding of these investments and their effects on livelihoods in the Sierra Leonean context through an examination of two cases: Addax Bioenergy and Socfin Agricultural Company (SAC). While agro-industrial investors promised to provide jobs to local communities and improve their livelihoods, the evidence suggests otherwise. Farm families that previously depended on land for subsistence were coerced into seasonal labour and received wages below the country’s minimum monthly wage of US$60.