Natural resources and local livelihoods in the Great Lakes region of Africa: a political economy perspective, edited by An Ansoms and Stefaan Marysse, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011, 265 pp., £67.50 (hardback), ISBN 9780230290259
There is a considerable literature examining the relationship between natural resources and local livelihoods in Africa. Neoclassical perspectives have used their rigorous quantitative methodologies to argue that within the African context, natural resources have been a ‘curse’ on national economic development and thus on local livelihoods. Heterodox perspectives have stressed that the relationship between natural resources and local livelihoods is very complex and deeply rooted in the political economy, social fields and class structures. This book is in the heterodox tradition. It focuses on the Great Lakes region and makes an important contribution to the ongoing discussion on resources, social dynamics and development in Africa.
The book is organised in two parts. Part 1 contains seven chapters addressing themes in land relations in the post-conflict societies of Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Part 2 contains five chapters and examines the intersection of mining, local livelihoods and international relations in the context of mineral resources in the DRC. Qualitative research methods including interviews and field observations form the methodological foundation of this book. The methodology is appropriate since the focus is on post-conflict societies where good quality official data is often non-existent.
The main themes of Part 1 are that land is scarce and that ambiguous land tenure systems rooted in the history, customs and practices of the region further complicate land relations as the region emerges from a recent past marred by conflict. The scarcity of land is evident because of the extremely high population density, one of the highest in the world (p. 4). Land relations are also strained by the legacy of colonisation and conflict, particularly in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern DRC. In addition, neoliberal policies of land consolidation to achieve economies of scale in a context of ambiguous land tenure have pushed small-scale farmers out of agriculture at an astonishing rate while consolidating wealth and power in the hands of a small group of capitalist farmers (p. 15).
Furthermore, policy space as regards land and agriculture is wide open as ‘the struggle for land is also a struggle for authority and political control’ (p. 78). This part of the book stresses the weakness of the state, and the emergence of ‘open moments’ in the land policy arena which allow various actors to define and implement what, given their political and military connections, they believe to be appropriate land policy. ‘Alleged customary leaders link up strategically with state actors to re-appropriate public agricultural land and sell it for their own profit’ (p. 78), thereby perpetuating their social and economic status in society. The authors show how the formalisation of property rights in land further entrenches social divisions by increasing the control customary leaders have over communal land. Overall, the authors of this part of the book stress that land in the Great Lakes region is not a given factor of production as assumed by orthodox neoclassical economics. Rather, land is characterised by complex social relations, embedded within the wider political economy and shaped by the relative bargaining power of contending interest groups in the various societies of the region (p. 17).
The main themes of Part 2 are that while the history of mining in the DRC appears to vindicate the ‘resource curse’ assertion of orthodox economists, a deeper understanding of the dynamics of mining, particularly on the relationship between artisanal and industrial mining, is necessary if the sector is to be instrumental in the economic recovery of the DRC. Furthermore, how the DRC interacts with international partners, most notably China, with regards to mining will have profound implications on the ability of local communities to improve and sustain their livelihoods.
The authors show that the historical evolution of the mining sector has been characterised by an intense struggle between artisanal and industrial miners and they anticipate this struggle to continue into the foreseeable future especially with the entry of China into the sector. China's quest for mineral resources in Africa is one the most phenomenal developments of the last two decades. The authors carefully discuss China's dealings with the DRC government on how to exploit its mineral resources. They showed that China's promise of infrastructure development in exchange for mineral resources is disadvantageous to the overall DRC economy especially to rural livelihoods, because it marginalises artisanal mining. As noted, ‘If the Congolese government and/or external actors want to take steps towards a reform and formalisation of the Congolese mining sector, it is important to take the potential impact upon the livelihoods of actors operating in artisanal mining into account’ (p. 211). The authors show that China's involvement in the DRC's mining sector does little to enhance capacity development, as many contracts to improve infrastructure are awarded to Chinese firms.
This book does a major service to anyone interested in understanding the complexities of land relations and mining in the Great Lakes region. It provides an empirically grounded account of the difficulties faced by countries as they engage international actors in the exploitation of their natural resources. Will the new relationship between countries in the Great Lakes region (and the rest of Africa) and China redefine the so-called resource curse thesis? The answer remains to be seen, but as this book argues, the extent to which local livelihoods are considered in bilateral agreements will determine the level of success countries in the Great Lakes region can expect. This is a fantastic book that must be read by scholars, policymakers and students interested in issues of land and mining in Africa.