The phrase ‘global land grab’ has become a catch-all phrase to describe and analyze the current explosion of (trans) national commercial land transactions. Around the world, various state, corporate and civil society groups have reacted, albeit in different ways. Some see this as a major threat to the lives and livelihoods of the rural poor worldwide, and so opposes such commercial land deals. Others see economic opportunity for the rural poor, although they are wary of corruption and negative consequences, and so calls for the improving land market governance feature prominently. And, of course, between these two extremes for and against large scale land purchases/sales are a range of intermediate positions offered by other groups.
In this context, in-depth and systematic enquiry is urgently needed in order to have deeper, meaningful and productive debates around causes and implications. FAC research will study the extent, nature and impact of what we define as define as cross-border, large-scale land deals that involve changes in land use and land property relations – through land purchases, land leases, and contract farming.
A special issue of the Journal of Peasant Studies, published this week, explores the controversial issue of 'green grabbing' – the appropriation of land and resources for environmental ends.
The vigorous debate on 'land grabbing' already highlights instances where 'green' credentials are called upon to justify appropriations of land for food or fuel – as where large tracts of land are acquired not just for 'more efficient farming' or 'food security’, but also to 'alleviate pressure on forests'.
The Land Deal Politics Initiative (LDPI) has announced the awards of its Small Grants programme for 2012. The LDPI is a network to promote 'engaged research' on the recent explosion of (trans) national commercial and corporation-driven land transactions.
Out of the 48 grants awarded, the Future Agricultures Consortium has supported 21 small grants for research across 15 countries in Africa.
Across the world, we are seeing a dramatic rise in the extent of cross-border, transnational corporation-driven and foreign government-driven, large-scale land deals unfolding. Such ‘land grabs’ revolve around the production and sale of food and biofuels, conservation and mining activities. Understanding the social, economic and political consequences is an important challenge.
As a follow up to the highly successful conference on global land grabbing held in 2011 at IDS, the Land Deal Politics Initiative (LDPI) is organizing a second international academic conference to be held on 17-19 October 2012 at the Africana Studies Center at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA, and have just announced a call for papers.
An increasing awareness of land grabbing coupled with a weak land management and governance institutions led to the African Union convening a High Panel on FDIs in Africa. The resulting Nairobi Action Plan (NAP) is the first important step which provides a focused framework for governing FDIs in African land. Can this new plan really lead to the more needed coherent policy development and improved governance of regional resources? READ MORE...
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A convergence of factors has been driving a revaluation of land by powerful economic and political actors. This is occurring across the world, but especially in the global South. As a result, we are seeing a dramatic rise in the extent of cross-border, transnational corporation-driven and, in some cases foreign government-driven, large-scale land deals unfolding worldwide. The phrase ‘global land grab’ has become a catch-all phrase to describe this explosion of (trans)national commercial land transactions revolving around the production and sale of food and biofuels, conservation and mining activities.
26 September 2011 - Ian Scoones
Zimbabwe's political crisis continues with political parties' internal divides exposed by Wikileaks revelations, the coalition government at loggerheads on fundamental issues and the prospect of a violent election period in the coming year. Yet with the stabilisation of the currency and the overhaul of some key economic policies, the agricultural economy in particular has begun to recover. IDS research has been tracking what has been happening in one province since 2000, looking at the changing livelihood prospects of those who gained land in Zimbabwe’s controversial 'fast track' land reform programme.
Today a series of short films are released which provide insights into what is happening on the ground, by offering some voices from the field. Following an overview film, each of the films in the series provides a profile of a particular farm family, exploring how they have invested in the land and their visions for the future. The films are accompanied by two booklets which offer a summary of the wider research findings published in the book Zimbabwe's Land Reform: Myths and Realities.
Theconvergence of global crises in food, energy, finance and the environment has driven a dramatic revaluation of land ownership as powerful transnational and national economic actors tap into lands outside their own borders to provide food and energy security at home. This is occurring globally, but there is a clear North-South dynamic that echoes the historical land grabs that underwrote both colonialism and imperialism. In addition, however, there is an emerging ‘North-South-South’ dynamic in the recent global land grab, with economically powerful non-Northern countries getting significantly involved. The lands of the Global South are increasingly perceived as sources of alternative energy (primarily biofuels), food crops, mineral deposits (new and old) and reservoirs of environmental services.
The pace and extent of these land deals has been rapid and widespread. The phrase ‘global land grab’ has become a catch-all phrase to describe and analyze the current explosion of (trans) national commercial land transactions. Around the world, various state, corporate and civil society groups have reacted, albeit in different ways. Some see this as a major threat to the lives and livelihoods of the rural poor worldwide, and so opposes such commercial land deals. Others see economic opportunity for the rural poor, although they are wary of corruption and negative consequences, and so calls for the improving land market governance feature prominently. And, of course, between these two extremes for and against large scale land purchases/sales are a range of intermediate positions offered by other groups.
Much attention has recently fallen on the ‘scramble’ for land and other natural resources in Africa to secure food supplies for populous Asian countries concerned about long-term food security. Yet mounting evidence (from the World Bank, from the International Land Coalition and Oakland Institute among others) suggests that at least as significant is the demand for land on which to grow biofuels or agrofuels. Also significant is the demand for forests and for land for mining. Many of the transnational land deals being concluded in Africa are therefore not about cultivation of food at all, let alone cultivation of food for Africa.
Although the trend towards transnational commercial land deals is global, most estimates and research data concur that most of the land being transacted is in Africa: 70% (about 32 million ha) according to the World Bank and 64% (about 51 million ha) according to the International Land Coalition. As well as Asian, European and North American investors are those from Latin America and from Africa itself, not least South Africa.
In 2010 the Future Agricultures Consortium responded to growing evidence of large-scale land deals in Africa by pursuing two research initiatives:
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