‘Land Grab’ and its Discontents

In the last two years, there has been a proliferation of acquisitions of farmland in resource-rich but capital-starved countries in the Global South. International reports attribute this trend to governments who are driven by long-term food security concerns, and who have lost faith in the market system as a consequence of the 2008 global food crisis, which saw food exporting nations imposing export restrictions when faced with global ‘food shortages’ and rising prices. What are the implications of these ‘land grab’ deals on the affected communities? This month’s second issue of the NTS Alert discusses the opposing views on ‘land grab’, and offers recommendations on how governments and business corporations can protect their investments while preserving the human rights of affected communities.