1 Contributing authors: Joshua K. Maiyo Doreen Nancy Kobusingye Bala Wenceslas Sanou Rosine Tchatchoua Djomo Richmond Antwi-Bediako Alda Salomão Editors: Gerard Baltissen (KIT-Royal Tropical Institute) Gemma van der Haar (Wageningen University) 1 Introduction What can local-level governments do to control and mitigate the commercial pressures placed on land? This is the question this working paper tries to answer. It is clear by now that the acquisition of land by foreign and domestic investors for commercial purposes may generate considerable pressures on the ground and – if unmitigated – may also involve high social and ecological risks. This is why the current debates on the “global land rush” insist on the need for increased local governance and regulation. Through this exploration on the role of local-level governments, we hope to contribute to this debate. Next to forms of global private sector self-regulation, there is a growing consensus that governments in affected countries have key regulating and monitoring roles and responsibilities in relation to land acquisitions. Governments are expected to formulate and monitor the conditions for acquisition as well as to safeguard the rights and interests of affected populations, to uphold environmental regulations, and to balance development possibilities with local food security needs and smallholder production and livelihoods. At the same time, it is also recognized that the governance challenges are considerable and that governments may experience serious limitations in playing a regulating role. This certainly holds for Africa; with an estimated range of 51 to 63 million hectares acquired between 2008 and 2010 (Cotula, 2013: p. 38), the Land Governance for Equitable and Sustainable Development WORKING PAPER 01 Governing commercial pressures on land in Africa: What is the role of local government? December 2016 Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Methodology 3 3. Commercial pressures on land in Africa 4 4. Land governance mandates: Situating local government 8 5. Local land governance in practice 11 6. Summing up: What is the role of local governments in regulating commercial pressures on land? 17 References 18 Annex: Research sites 19 Meeting between community members and company, Palma, Mozambique. Courtesy of Alda Salomão.