Land
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.
Latest articles
The next Great Trek: South African commercial farmers moving north
June 27, 2011 / Land Research team: Ruth Hall, Gaynor Paradza PLAAS, University of the Western Cape
The Political Economy of Land Grabs and Land Reforms in Malawi
June 27, 2011 / Land Research team: Henry Chingaipe, Micheal Chasukwa, Blessings Chinsinga and Ephraim Chirwa Chancellor College, University of Malawi
Country Case Studies: Transnational Commercial Land Deals in Africa
June 27, 2011 / Land The convergence 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
FAC’s focus on Land Grabbing
June 23, 2011 / Land 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
WaA call for papers: Water Grabbing?
May 31, 2011 / Land Special Issue on- Water Grabbing? Focus on the (Re)appropriation of Finite Water Resources Despite headline attention to ‘land grabbing’ the implications for existing surface and groundwater water resources have so far not been adequately examined.
FAC presents at FAO Food Security World Committee session
January 4, 2011 / Land FAC presented its land research at a FAO Food Security World Committee session together with other research on key 'land grab' issues to show how these issues are linked to government policies, like 'Responsible Agricultural Investment' (RAI) during a Transnational Institute side event to the Rome summit.
Land grabbing in Africa
January 4, 2011 / Land The FAC land theme contributed to an event at the FAO in Rome in advance of the critical debate by the FAO World Food Security Committee session on land grabbing. Hosted by civil society organisations, including the Transnational Institute and
LDPI Small Grant Recipients – 2010
October 6, 2010 / Land The Land Deal Politics Initiative (LDPI) is a network initiated by five university-based research institutions with the purpose of promoting 'engaged research' on the recent explosion of (trans) national commercial and corporation-driven land transactions. In-depth and systematic enquiry has become
‘Global Land Grabbing’ – call for papers
May 17, 2010 / Land Co-organized and hosted by the Future Agricultures Consortium in partnership with the Journal of Peasant Studies and the Land Deal Politics Initiative (LDPI). This international academic conference on ‘Global Land Grabbing’ will be held on 6-8 April 2011 at the
LDPI Small grant competition: Call for applications 2010
May 17, 2010 / Land The 2010 application process is now closed. (The following is for background information only). 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
LDPI Small grant competition: Call for applications 2011
May 17, 2010 / Land This call has now closed - view the list of recipients 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.
LDPI Small Grants Programme
April 20, 2010 / Land The Small Grants programme offers grants of up to US$2000 per study to successful applicants who wish to undertake original field research, carry out follow up fieldwork on an ongoing related initiative, or write up a paper based on research that
Linking to Lands Deals Politics Initiative (LDPI)
April 20, 2010 / Land The FAC research theme will be linked to the international Land Deals Politics Initiative (LDPI), launched in January 2010. The objective of this initiative is to provide a platform and network to generate solid evidence through detailed, field-based research that
Motivation for Land Grab Research
April 20, 2010 / Land The convergence of global crises in food, energy, finance and theenvironment 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
A Global Land Grab?
January 27, 2010 / Land A convergence of factors has been driving a revaluation of land by powerful economic and political actors.