Impacts of Large-Scale Agricultural Investments on Local Food Security: A case study in Naivasha, Kenya

Large-scale agricultural investments (LSAIs) are promoted as drivers of modernization, employment, and food security, yet remain contested. While they can generate income and infrastructure, they often bring challenges such as land conflicts, competition over resources, and uncertain impacts on local food security.

This project examines an LSAI at Lake Naivasha in Kenya as a case study. The 2,600-hectare farm belongs to an international company that exports vegetables, fruit, and flowers primarily to Europe. Its scale and integration into global value chains make it an ideal case to study how LSAIs shape local food systems.

The research analyzes how the farm influences the food security of employees, smallholders, and community members. The “Right to Food” framework is applied, which distinguishes two channels to realize food security: the production and sale of food, and the purchasing of food. Within these, factors such as access to productive resources, agricultural inputs, markets, prices, income, availability of adequate, diverse food, and other costs of living are considered.

Alongside a literature review, fieldwork will be conducted. This involves qualitative interviews and focus group discussions with farm workers and management, smallholders, community members, government officials, and relevant organizations. The Master’s thesis seeks to capture both opportunities and risks of LSAIs on food security and to contribute to a more equitable, sustainable, and locally grounded approach to agricultural investments in East Africa.