The increased interest by foreign investors in african land. Extractive industries remain a concrete threat to indigenous communities and this years the indigenous world 2018 describes many cases of land grabbing from indigenous peoples. Womens land rights and customary land tenure jessica chu abstract jessica chu seeks to enquire into the understanding of gender impacts with the new proliferation of crossborder, largescale land transactions or global land grabs. Studies suggest that a third of the land sold or acquired in africa is intended for fuel crops some 5 million hectares. This is supported by the use of the term land grabbing. Foreign land grabbing in africa the fao estimates that in the last three years 20 million hectares have been acquired by foreign interests in africa 1. Largescale land acquisitions are widespread in africa. Land grabbing is classically known as the seizing of land by a nation, state or organization, especially illegally or unfairly. In the 2000s, africa became a grabbers hotspot, following global concerns over food security and fuel supplies. However, the eus response to land grabbing, by acts and omissions, has been. Since 2009, the land matrix, a joint independent land monitoring initiative of civil society, intergovernmental organizations and research institutes, has collected key information regarding land grabbing. In this article we take a closer look at some of the examples.
Pdf largescale land acquisitions are widespread in africa. What we are witnessing is a situation in which pressures on land and water are increasing at an unprecedented speed. Land grabbing, sustainable development and human rights. The neocolonial thesis attributes the drivers of land grabbing to the international economy. Click here to view pdf document for land grabbing in africa. Land grabbing in kenya and mozambique fian international. Africa and land grabbing a 2012 report on land grabs cataloguing 416 largescale foreign investments targeted at food production concluded that the most seriously affected nations were located in africa. Land leases, rather than purchases, predominate, with durations ranging from short term to 99 years. In the 2000s, africa became a grabbers hotspot, following global concerns over. The hidden aspects of water grabbing do not just make it a very slippery terrain, but also imply that largescale land acquisitions all around africa actually can be understood as water grabbing. In the documentary, land grabbing, it was found that over 1,000 people in a village were evicted violently. The main debates surrounding land grabbing are divided between those that oppose land grabbing and those that view it as beneficial and worth the cost of potential displacement cotula et al 2009.
Land grabbing and its implications for economic, social. The report reveals how local communities are having their land taken, forests and natural vegetation are being cleared, and there are few safeguards for local community land rights. A definition of land grabbing is suggested along with the reasons for the recent surge in land grabbing due to the financial crisis and the boom in agrofuels. Up for grabs the scale and impact of land grabbing for agrofuels. Primary and secondary data on land acquisitions in africa is scarce and often of limited reliability. Therefore, land grabbing is an issue of crucial concern for economic, social and cultural rights. Displacement and dispossession through land grabbing in. The wave of land grabs for jatropha over the past six or so years has been obscene, especially in africa. Africa land grab recent articles and reports on african.
The study highlights the possible opportunities investments, rising agricultural productivity and rural incomes, if things are managed well and warns about the risks uncompensated loss of land rights for the rural poor if contracts are not properly negotiated. Bachelor course in economics, neg 300 acknowledgement for making this adventure possible we want to thank the swedish international development cooperation agency, sida, and the department of. Over the past several years, grain staff and allies in different regions have been tracking media and other information sources on a daily basis and posting reports on land grab. This article explores the impact of land grabbing in ethiopia and examines the human rights and sustainable development frameworks within which land grabbing takes place.
Chinas presence in africa has gained growing attention at an international level in the last two decades, especially since the 2007 food crisis, however chinas presence in africa is far from new. By all accounts, land grabbing is intensifying and spreading, especially in rural africa. A parliamentarian response to land grabs 2 overview of foreign investment in land and water in 2009, the world bank published a report, awakening africa s sleeping giant, which argued that global food production will have to double by 2050 to satisfy. Nevertheless a picture is emerging of largescale land acquisitions in africa. Five alarming land grabbing cases written on 19 april 2018. The scale and impact of land grabbing for agrofuels.
Pdf over the past decade, largescale land acquisition in africa has become quite intense, especially in drc, ethiopia, madagascar, mozambique, sudan. Specific home and hostcountry policies, cheap land, the lack of a legal infrastructure, investment opportunities and the promise of quick profit returns are the driving factors behind land acquisitions throughout africa, argues nikolaj nielsen in this weeks pambazuka news. In this part, we will outline the motivations and key players driving these investments. Land grabbing and human rights transnational institute.
Eight years after releasing its first report on land grabbing, which put the issue on the international agenda, grain publishes a new dataset documenting nearly 500 cases of land grabbing around the world. South africa sets date for white farmers land grab months after announcing test case to see if expropriation without compensation. Land grabbing is the contentious issue of largescale land acquisitions. The remainder of the article is structured as follows. What effect does land grabbing have on local people. An example of one of such cases is widely seen in ethiopia and the target.
Research in ethiopia, ghana, mali, mozambique, senegal and tanzania indicate that land grabbing is currently a big challenge for african countries because of. Others are more cautious, speaking of largescale land acquisi. After examining to what extent this land grab is different from previous land dispossession section 1, this article analyses how it does particularly affects indigenous peoples section 2, before analysing how new legal strategies are necessary to address such a land grabbing phenomenon section 3. Population increase, changes in eating habits and demand for biofuels are putting farmland at a premium worldwide, this is specially proven in case of many african countries which depend on developed countries for food supplies and other needs.
Land, with its available water potential, was acquired by a wide range. Africa is a particular focus for this investment explosion because of the perception that there is plenty of cheap land and labour available, as well as a favourable climate, mr. Others are more cautious, speaking of largescale land acquisitions, while the world bank notes euphemistically. Economic and ethical challenges of land grabs in subsaharan. What do we know about the chinese land grab in africa. The ngo, international land coalition, estimates that from 2000 to 2010, about 261 million acres of. The subject of transnational land acquisitions, infamously referred to as land grabbing, has increasingly become an important policy concern in africa as acquisitions have grown in scale and number. Stop africa land grab the global movement to rollback. While used broadly throughout history, land grabbing as used in the 21st century primarily refers to largescale land acquisitions following the 200708 world food price crisis. While some of this land is sold outright to private. A report issued jointly by the groups polaris and the oakland institute entitled land grab leaves africa thirsty, warns that if all the 40 million hectares of land that were acquired on the continent in 2009 come under cultivation, a staggering volume of water would be required for irrigation. As a result of the increasingly deteriorating situation, the first africa conference on land grab is being organised, scheduled for 2730 of october 2014 at the pan african parliament, south africa. Land grabbing in af rica and the new politics of food introduction africa is for sale is how some characterise it.
During the land grab, the profiteer burned down many of the residents houses. In its introductory part the report puts these case studies in the context of land grabbing. Friends of the earth has looked at cases of land grabbing in 11 countries across africa, from ethiopia to mozambique see appendix. It is recently redefined as a large scale acquisition of land through purchases or leases for commercial investment by foreign organizations 6. Agricultural investment and international land deals in africa, londonrome, pp. Pdf what is the role of china as land grabber in sub. Octoer 11 maing investment or for africa a parliamentarian response to land grabs making investment work for africa. Land grabbing in africa and the new politics of food african law. Five alarming land grabbing cases iwgia international.
Land grabbing in africa, the new colonialism this is africa. The article argues that a human rights approach is fundamental to reconcile the sustainable development imperatives of economic development and environmental protection in the. Land grabbing, large scale land acquisition, international investments, welfare, labor demand, wage, household, oromia region, ethiopia. The conference will feature various speakers who will focus on a range of country casestudies of land grabbing in africa. South africa sets date for white farmers land grab. Ngos estimate that in eastern africa alone, 310 land deals have been completed since 2000. In africa, there is a huge business in agriculture, and theyre not afraid to steal farm land from the locals. Hunger, food security, and the african land grab ethics. Ethiopian officials have revoked land leases in addis ababa that were held by dozens of investors, including ethiopianborn saudi billionaire mohammed hussein alamoudi. Asian capitalism, primitive accumulation, and the new enclosures in uganda 7. It finds that land grabbing is a serious issue requiring urgent attention. The largest land acquisitions are concentrated in countries. Over the last twenty years private, foreign investors and governments have. Land grabbing in africa and the new politics of food.
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