There is uncertainty and no small controversy surrounding
the potential impacts of commercial agricultural
developments that are being proposed for sub-Saharan
Africa by domestic governments and foreign investors.
Much of the debate concerns how Africa’s rural poor
could be affected. One response is to look back and
review what the outcomes have been from earlier such
developments. This should include consideration of the
institutional setting to help us understand how
institutions influence the character and outcome of
commercial agricultural schemes. This working paper
assesses the historical experience of three farming
models that have figured in recent investments in
sub-Saharan Africa: plantations, contract farming and
commercial farming areas. Based on a literature review,
the paper concentrates on the involvement of, and effects
on, rural societies in and around the area where the
schemes were located. It looks mainly at sub-Saharan
Africa but also considers case studies from Latin America
and Asia.