The past several decades have witnessed a rise in foreign and domestic investments in Africa’s arable land. While such land projects are currently the focus of widespread media and scholarly interest, the role of the state in driving, negotiating and facilitating these acquisitions deserves closer attention. This book analyzes how state land policies, stakeholder interactions and privatization schemes interact to facilitate large-scale land acquisitions. It includes a study of the various forms of state intervention, the influence of foreign agencies, governments and private entities, and a look at how states interact with local populations. The inclusion of case studies in settings throughout the African continent should attract the interest of both an academic and non-academic readership.

An important feature of Ghanaian tertiary education is the foundational African Studies Programme which was initiated in the early 1960s. Unfortunately hardly any readers exist which bring together a body of knowledge on the themes, issues and debates which inform and animate research and teaching in African Studies particularly on the African continent. This becomes even more important when we consider the need for knowledge on Africa that is not Eurocentric or sensationalised, but driven from internal understandings of life and prospects in Africa. Dominant representations and perceptions of Africa usually depict a continent in crisis. Rather than buying into external representations of Africa, with its 'lacks' and aspirations for Western modernities, we insist that African scholars in particular should be in the forefront of promoting understanding of the pluri-lingual, overlapping, and dense reality of life and developments on the continent, to produce relevant and usable knowledge. Continuing and renewed interest in Africa's resources, including the land mass, economy, minerals, visual arts and performance cultures, as well as bio-medical knowledge and products, by old and new geopolitical players, obliges African scholars to transcend disciplinary boundaries and to work with each other to advance knowledge and uses of those resources in the interests of Africa's people.

Seafood Authenticity and Traceability: a DNA-based Pespective is a concise reference showcasing the latest developments in the field. Written for those in food authenticity who may not have a technical molecular biology background, the book covers methods used for DNA analysis and an overview of their applications in fish and seafood, also providing reviews of the technology and processes for each method. It offers a practical and succinct overview of the relationship between accurate identification, traceability, sustainability, and safety of seafood, including an overview of the supply chain and the industry's need for improved traceability. - Presents current and future perspectives in the emerging field of traceability, including solid coverage of DNA analysis for origin detection - Includes molecular authentication tools to improve species identification throughout the seafood industry - Provides reviews of the technology and processes for each DNA analysis method - Offers a comprehensive overview for those in food authenticity who may not have an in-depth molecular biology background