By Yulian Junaidi Jasuan

In the recent years we see the fast growing phenomena of land grabbing across the world. In Africa, Asia and Latin America million of hectares of land has been taking over by developed countries through their multinational agribusiness. In Southern Laos for example 100 million hectares of land has been taken by China telecommunication company ZTE to developed cassava plantation as the main source for ethanol, In Brazil, Japan conglomerate Mitsui has bought 100 million hectares of land to produce soy bean (Grain, 2008).

In Indonesia, this phenomenon is also occurs in the recent years and it is supported by national policies. In 2008, the government issued Presidential Decree No.5/2008 on Focus of Economic Program which also includes Large Scale Investment on Food (Food Estate). The Decree is aim to gives opportunity for investors to developed food crops plantation. It becomes the foundation for the establishment of Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE), a large scale food plantation in Papua Island.