Resources

Deal Narrative 3: Securing land rights and access to commons - new hope for the Argentine Chaco’s pastoralists?

The Chaco region, which spans Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay, is the second largest forest in South America after the Amazon rainforest. It is also one of the fastest growing agricultural frontiers in South America and a global deforestation hotspot. Since the 1990s, the Argentine Chaco has experienced a massive expansion …

2024-09-11
Deal Narrative 2: As pressure builds on available agricultural land in Ukraine, can the country balance environmental protection with economic needs?

With the full-scale invasion in Ukraine by Russia in 2022, in addition to taking a heavy toll on human lives, significant negative impact from the military action on soil health and productivity has been observed, with more than 30% of Ukrainian land now unsuitable for agriculture. In the meantime, ongoing …

2024-08-28
Insight into large-scale LULC changes and their drivers through breakpoint characterization: An application to Senegal

As global land cover/ land use change (LULCC) threatens the human’s well-being, accurate detection and characterization of LULCC is of paramount importance. The increasing availability of dense satellite image time series (SITS), together with the ever-improving change detection algorithms, has allowed significant progress to be made. However, much remains to …

2024-08-12
Survey on large-scale land acquisitions in Senegal: Focus on agricultural jobs

Building on activities initiated with the Land Matrix with the financial support of GIGA, a pilot operation has been entrusted to ISRA-BAME. This initiative aims to consolidate existing data and deepen collection to identify and characterise large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in Senegal. This approach aligns with GIGA's project, which seeks …

2024-08-05
Can ‘western’ initiatives for sustainable supply chains save tropical peatlands? Evidence from the Indonesian palm oil sector

Despite the numerous initiatives for sustainable agricultural supply chains in high-income countries (HIC), there is little evidence on whether these initiatives effectively reduce environmental degradation in tropical cultivation areas. This paper, presented by the Land Matrix Initiative's Christoph Kubitza and Jann Lay at the 2024 World Bank Land Conference in …

2024-07-29
32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE 2024)

The triennial International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE-2024), centred on the theme “Transformation Towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems” is scheduled from August 2-7, 2024, in New Delhi, India. ICAE 2024 will address urgent questions on how to make agri-food food systems more sustainable, with a particular focus on the important role …

2024-07-29
Country profile: Serbia

A favourable climate and large cultivated areas create ideal conditions for varied agricultural production in Serbia. At the same time, however, complex and tangled land relations, a legacy of its past as a socialist Yugoslav state, exacerbate the issue of land ownership, even after the privatisation process in the 1990s …

2024-07-25
Mining resources, the inconvenient truth of the “ecological” transition

By 2035, the International Energy Agency predicts that $48 trillion will need invested to meet global energy needs, with at least half of these amounts needed to be funneled into renewable electricity sources and energy efficiency efforts. The energy transition is an important dimension of a global climate change mitigation …

2024-07-22
Guinée/Problématique d’acquisitions foncières à grande échelle : lancement d’un processus de collecte de données pour l’identification des terres agricoles

L’ong ACORD-Guinée, en collaboration avec ses partenaires de l’Institut Sénégalais de Recherche Agricole (ISRA-BAME), a procédé à la présentation d’un outil de collecte de données pour l’identification et la caractérisation des Acquisitions de Terres à Grande Échelle (ATGE). La plateforme dénommée Land Matrix vise à identifier, à collecter et à …

2024-07-08
The greenest country in the world? The case of the Saamaka and their fight against deforestation

New evidence from geospatial maps reveals the shocking extent of forest damage to Saamaka territory in Suriname’s Amazon due to illegal logging and mining concessions granted by the government. Saamaka territory is also a critical carbon sink. More than 14 years after the Inter-American Court of Human Rights mandated the …

2024-07-01
LANDac 2024 - Land governance and the politics of fair transitions: Deepening the search for social justice

Taking place in Utrecht, the Netherlands, from 3-5 July 2024, this year's annual Conference & Summit - the second as a joint effort between LANDac and the IoS Fair Transitions Platform - will explore the challenges related to the ongoing transitions in the name of climate change and clean energy. …

2024-06-10
Land Squeeze: The hidden battle for Africa’s soils

Land grabbing is not just back with a vengeance. It is taking on new guises such as carbon offsets, green hydrogen schemes, and other “green grabs”. In recent years, Africa has been at the epicentre of an alarming global trend: the land squeeze. The 2007-8 global financial crisis unleashed …

2024-06-10
Atlas of a territory in transition: A look at the Senegal River delta

The Senegal River Valley has a clear agricultural vocation. Developed by riverside populations for decades, its biophysical conditions offer significant potential for hydro-agricultural, fisheries, and pastoral development. The delta, which forms the western part of the region, is a unique area. Since the 1960s, public authorities have focused on supporting …

2024-06-10
Land Squeeze: What is driving unprecedented pressures on farmland and what can be done to achieve equitable access to land?

Published: 2024
Source: IPES-Food

Soaring land prices, land grabs, and carbon schemes are creating an unprecedented ‘land squeeze’, threatening farmers and food production, reveals a comprehensive new report by IPES-Food.

The 2008 global financial crisis unleashed a huge wave of land grabbing. But the pressures on farmland never went away. …

2024-05-14
Labour displacement in agriculture: Evidence from oil palm expansion in Indonesia

Authors: Christoph Kubitza, Vijesh V. Krishna, Stephan Klasen, Thomas Kopp, Nunung Nuryartono and Matin Qaim
Published: 2024
Source: Land Economics

This research by Land Matrix partner GIGA analyses the labour market effects of oil palm cultivation among smallholder farmers in Indonesia. Oil palm requires less labour per unit of land …

2024-04-03
Opening of the second stage of the land market for legal entities in Ukraine: Thoughts and risks

Operations for the lease or sale of agricultural land are ongoing processes that allow for agricultural activity. Small farmers (up to 200 hectares), large agricultural holdings (hundreds of thousands of hectares), and everyone in between form a land bank based on leased or private land plots. From 2021, the moratorium …

2024-04-03
Loggers have ‘grabbed’ around 1m hectares of Indigenous land in DRC

Author: Josh Gabbatiss
Published: 12 March 2024
Source: Carbon Brief

Logging companies have “acquired” roughly 1m hectares of Indigenous peoples’ territory in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2000, according to a new study.

This is part of a wider trend in which companies and governments take advantage of …

2024-03-14
World Bank Land Conference 2024

The World Bank Land Conference is the premier forum for the land sector, bringing together participants from governments, development partners, civil society, academia, and the private sector to showcase research, discuss issues and good practice, and inform policy dialogue. The Conference encourages cross-sectoral knowledge exchange and has incubated numerous investments, …

2024-03-13
Large-scale acquisitions of communal land in the Global South: Assessing the risks and formulating policy recommendations

Authors: Jorge A. Rincón Barajas, Christoph Kubitza and Jann Lay
Published: 2024
Source: Land Use Policy

This research by Land Matrix partner GIGA conceptualises and empirically assesses the socioeconomic and environmental risks of large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) for communal lands in the Global South. These risks include the displacement of …

2024-03-13
Activities of international companies in the Russian market following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine: Analytical report

After the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia on Ukraine on 24 February 2022, many representatives of foreign businesses left their management positions in Russian companies or withdrew their investments. However, there are also foreign companies that continue to operate in the Russian market, thereby providing income to the …

2024-03-08
Deal Narrative I: Who benefits from tree-planting in the Global South? The case of two carbon offset projects in Laos

With biological carbon removal projects already receiving large parts of the increasing financial flows towards carbon offsetting, this deal narrative illustrates the ensuing trade-offs and potential benefits using the example of two land deals from the Land Matrix database in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), commonly known as Laos. …

2024-03-06
Country profile: Kenya

Of the total land area of Kenya, only around 10% is classified as arable land, with the 14 recorded concluded deals in the Land Matrix database equalling just 0.46% of the total land area. Although this is a relatively small land footprint, these deals may still have significant implications for …

2024-02-06
InfoPoint conference: Land Rights for Sustainable Development - The Role of Data

Having secure land tenure, ensuring people's confidence in accessing, controlling and utilizing their land, is crucial for promoting sustainable land management practices. It also plays a key role in building resilience against the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and increased desertification due to higher …

2024-01-12
CFS 51 side event: Just transition or green grabbing? Land-intensive climate action and protecting the sustainable food systems of IPLCs

Large-scale commercial agriculture continues to replace agricultural practices of indigenous peoples (IPs), pastoralists, and smallholder farmers worldwide. At the same time, large-scale land deals for wind parks and solar farms take place in the context of global climate action. In addition, millions of hectares of land are required to meet …

2023-10-16
Building together a Global Land Agenda high level event

If we want to achieve the SDGs, beat inequality, hunger and confront the climate crisis, the world needs to do more to secure land tenure and enhance access to land. If we want to achieve systemic change, we need to do it urgently and we need to do it more …

2023-10-11
Surveying and delineation for non-surveyors training: Enhancing land rights defenders’ capacities through surveying

Land conflict issues in the Philippines, especially the problem of overlapping claims on land tenure, have greatly affected smallholder farmers, indigenous peoples, and local communities. The country’s complex history of land ownership, coupled with the rush for land, rapid urbanization, and economic development has led to numerous disputes over land …

2023-10-04
The impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine on the state of the country’s soil: Analysis results

Authors: Anastasiia Splodytel, Oleksandr Holubtsov, Serhii Chumachenko, and Liudmyla Sorokina
Published: 2023
Source: Ecoaction

Since 2014, Russia’s war against Ukraine has dramatically disrupted the soil environment and caused large-scale and long-term environmental degradation. This drastic change of landscape requires an immediate and comprehensive study, followed by the development of policies …

2023-09-12
Story map: How satellites can locate potential land grabs in Africa

Author: Konrad Hentze
Published: 2023
Source: Remote Sensing Research Group (University of Bonn)

This storyline gives an overview of current land grabbing databases, their lack of spatial information, and how remote sensing datasets can overcome this lack when being used to detect large scale agricultural production schemes.

View the story …

2023-09-12
ILC and Welthungerhilfe: Learning from 10 Years of Implementing the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure

Authors: Marc Wegerif, Mohamed Coulibaly
Published: 2023
Source: International Land Coalition

In May 2012, the Committee on World Food Security adopted the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) to promote secure tenure rights and equitable …

2023-07-18
Call for abstracts: CLPA 2023

The Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA) is organised biennially by the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC), a joint initiative of the African Union Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and the African Development Bank. The goal is to deepen capacity for land policy in Africa through …

2023-07-18
2023 Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA 2023)

From November 21 to 24, 2023, the tripartite consortium consisting of the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) will be holding the Fifth Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA) in the context of the Year of AfCFTA: Acceleration …

2023-07-18
Land observatories, discourses and struggles beyond the smokescreen: A case study in Senegal

Authors: Quentin Grislain and Jeremy Bourgoin
Published: 2023
Source: Land Use Policy

Sub-Saharan Africa is confronted with land issues such as the private appropriation of farmland, land use conflicts, and access to land for women and younger generations. These diverse issues and the promotion of evidence-based policies encourage actors in …

2023-07-18
Business as usual? The role of large-scale land acquisition in carbon offset projects and deforestation-free supply chains

By: Christoph Kubitza

In the wake of global climate action, large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) for renewable energy and carbon offset projects will increase the pressure on land. In addition, deforestation-free value chains that are also intended to reduce carbon emissions will require changes in the conduct of LSLAs. We assessed …

2023-07-18
Beyond land grabbing narratives, acknowledging patterns and regimes of land control in Senegal

Authors: Jeremy Bourgoin, Djibril Diop, Camille Jahel, Roberto Interdonato, and Quentin Grislain
Published: 2023
Source: Land Use Policy

This paper, co-authored by members of the Land Matrix, looks at how, despite a growing awareness, the patterns and regimes of dispossession are still subject to blind spots, due in part to …

2023-06-07
Latin America Regional Focal Point making waves in radio campaign

The Instituto de Investigaciones en Energía No Convencional (INENCO) is currently carrying out a radio broadcasting campaign to share its research activities from the Latin America Regional Focal Point (RFP). The campaign started in April 2023 and will run for three months until July. So far, INENCO has visited …

2023-05-10
LANDac 2023

This year's LANDac Annual Conference is organised jointly with the IOS-Fair Transitions to discuss the crossroads of the fair transitions and land governance debates in the context of climate change. The conference will take place in Utrecht, the Netherlands, from 28-30 June and will be held on site with a …

2023-05-10
51st Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS51)

The 51st Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS51) will be held from 23 to 27 October 2023 in a hybrid format in Rome, Italy.

To enrich and complement the CFS 51 plenary and give partners and other stakeholders an opportunity to highlight their work, CFS invites …

2023-05-10
The carbon cost of agricultural production in the global land rush

Authors: Chuan Liao, Kerstin Nolte, Daniel G. Brown, Jann Lay, Arun Agrawal
Published: 2023
Source: Elsevier

This paper, co-authored by the Land Matrix's Prof Jann Lay from GIGA, makes use of a global dataset on large-scale land transactions (LSLTs) for agricultural production to estimate potential carbon emissions based on different …

2023-05-10
Land contamination as a result of Russia's aggression against Ukraine

Russia's war against Ukraine has provoked widespread and long-term degradation of the environment, including the soil ecosystem. Mined areas, shelling craters, landslides, destroyed military equipment in the fields, and more are all signals of serious soil disturbances with devastating consequences for both soil and human health. Without proper restoration, damaged …

2023-03-06
Executive training on sustainable investments in agriculture

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment's Executive Training on Sustainable Investments in Agriculture provides an interdisciplinary approach to addressing the challenges and opportunities of agricultural investments. The program is designed to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to address some of the key challenges posed by international investments in …

2023-03-06
Transnational agricultural land acquisitions threaten biodiversity in the Global South

Authors: Davis, K.F., Müller, M.F., Rulli, M.C., Tatlhego, M., Ali1, S., Baggio, J.A., Dell'Angelo, J., Jung, S., Kehoe, L., Niles, M.T. Eckert, S
Published: 2023
Source: IOP Science

Agricultural large-scale land acquisitions have been linked with enhanced deforestation and land use change. Yet the extent to which transnational agricultural large-scale …

2023-02-06
Rapport d’analyse de la situation des acquisitions de terre à grande échelle (ATGE) dans le secteur agricole au Sénégal

Authors: Diop, D., Bourgoin, J., Ba, A., Dièye, M., Segnane, S., Grislain, Q.
Published: 2022
Source: ISRA-BAME

Au Sénégal les acquisitions de terre à grande échelle (ATGE) se développent dans un contexte marqué par de multiples défis qui ont des implications sur la gouvernance foncière. Malheureusement, les données disponibles sur …

2023-01-31
The 10th Anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure in Times of Multiple Crises

In times of multiple crises, such as conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and rising global food prices, the pressure on land resources continues to grow. Safeguarding fair and equal access to land remains essential to food security and food systems transformation. The 10th anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines …

2023-01-31
Transformation Labs

Transformation Labs are a new type of scientific congress aimed at bridging the science-policy-practice nexus for achieving sustainable development. The overall goal of the Transformation Labs is to identify research that can help sustainable socio-ecological transformations within planetary boundaries. The Labs are supported by a grant from the Novo Nordic …

2023-01-23
LANDac Annual Summer School: Land Governance for Development

Every summer, LANDac organises the ‘Land Governance for Development’ Summer School in Utrecht, the Netherlands. This year, the Summer School will take place from 3 – 14 July.

The large-scale acquisition of land in the Global South – often referred to as “land grabbing” or “the global land rush” – …

2023-01-23
IOS Fair Transitions / LANDac Conference 2023 – Call for sessions

The LANDac International Annual Conference 2023, in collaboration with the Fair Transitions Platform- Utrecht University/IOS, will be taking place from 28-30 June 2023 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The call for sessions is now open, and will close on 15 February 2023.

Land is at the core of solutions for fair …

2023-01-23
Resistencia desde abajo: mujeres en la lucha contra el avance de proyectos eólicos en el estado de Paraíba (Brasil)

Autora: Lorena Izá Pereira
Fecha de publicación: 2022
La procedencia: Land Matrix LAC

No es posible comprender el espacio agrario brasileño sin considerar las nuevas dinámicas derivadas de los nuevos usos del territorio. La expansión de los proyectos de energía eólica, una actividad intensiva en el área, ha resultado en …

2022-12-08
Impactos del Acaparamiento de Tierras en América Latina y el Caribe: Dossier nº 4

Por cuarto año consecutivo, Land Matrix LAC pone a disposición una herramienta que busca visibilizar diversas situaciones de acaparamiento de tierras en América Latina. A partir de los casos de grandes transacciones subidos a la base de datos Land Matrix Lac, investigadores de siete institutos académicos de varios países de …

2022-12-08
CFS 50 side event: Human rights in global land acquisitions and agricultural supply chains

Joining both online and in person, over 110 participants attended the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) side event on 12 October 2022, at which a panel of experts discussed human rights violations in global land acquisitions and agricultural supply chains. Still frequently occurring, these violations have triggered a range …

2022-11-23
COP27: TIME TO CHANGE LAND INVESTMENT PRACTICE!

Investors are neglecting good practice principles in land - and threatening indigenous people’s land rights, rain forests, and ultimately the climate

Only 29% of land investments in main forest basin countries* show a satisfactory level of compliance with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGTs).

Doughnut chart Global_rounded values


Low transparency …

2022-11-14
Land deals increase income, but not well-being: The case of Lao PDR

Source: Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern
Published: 2022

Much arable land in developing countries is inefficiently managed or lies fallow: Since this became the accepted, World Bank-endorsed narrative in 2008, it has shaped the agricultural policies of many developing countries. At the same time, it has …

2022-11-01
Online exchange: The 10th anniversary of the VGGT in times of multiple crises

Taking stock and assessing the way forward for responsible land governance and food security 

In times of multiple crises, such as conflicts, the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and rising global food prices, the pressure on land resources continues to grow. Safeguarding fair and equal access to land remains essential to …

2022-11-01
CFS 50 side event: "Human rights in global land acquisitions and agricultural supply chains"

Global agricultural supply chains are frequently associated with human rights violations – particularly upstream, when large-scale commercial production is established on land previously used by smallholders or indigenous populations. In response, various frameworks that target the country of production, for example the VGGT, or investors, such as the CFS-RAI, are …

2022-10-04
Land Matrix Initiative congratulates the first two students from its PhD Programme to successfully finalise their theses

In 2019, the Land Matrix established it’s PhD programme as part of its drive to strengthen data analysis and promote research activities. Three years later, the Initiative is proud to congratulate the first two students to finalise their PhD theses and complete the programme, Quentin Grislain and Wegayehu Bogale.

The …

2022-09-07
50th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS 50)

The 50th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) will be held from 10 to 13 October 2022. The CFS 50 Plenary will endorse two key policy products: the Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women's and Girls' Empowerment and the Policy Recommendations on Promoting Youth Engagement and …

2022-09-07
Land deals in Ukraine amidst a war

Authors: Lorina Fedorova, Christoph Kubitza, and Danya-Zee Pedra

The Russian attack on Ukraine has upended the lives of millions of Ukrainians and is causing one of the most severe humanitarian crises in Europe in decades. Aside from the humanitarian threat, economic concerns have begun to surface as people start to …

2022-09-05
Realizing responsible investment in agriculture: What can policy-makers in Africa learn from Southeast Asia?

Author: Nyaguthii Maina
Published: 2022
Source: International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

Globally, there has been positive momentum to develop and implement new national laws and international guidance frameworks to promote “responsible” investment in land and agriculture, but Africa still lags far behind other regions in responsible investment practice. Today, …

2022-08-16
Las grandes transacciones de tierras en Argentina: Dinámica de sus intenciones de producción, inversores y conflictividad

Autora: Venencia, C.D, Salas Barboza, A.G.J, Agüero, J.L, y Seghezzo, L.
Fecha de publicación: 2022
La procedencia: Land Matrix LAC

Después de más una década, el fenómeno de grandes transacciones detierrascontinua en aumento, al igual que susefectos sociales y ambientales. En este contexto, a partir de la base de datos …

2022-08-04
Snapshot: Large-scale land acquisitions in forests in Asia 2022

Large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in forests bring considerable economic, social and environmental impacts to communities in Asia. As the regional focal point of the Land Matrix Initiative (LMI) in Asia, the Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development has recorded 1,009 LSLAs in the region, of which 40% are intended …

2022-08-03
Snapshot: Large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in Asia

Landlessness and lack of secure access to and tenure over land, water, and forest resources have been identified as one of the priority issues by many farmer organisations in Asia. As this continues to be a major problem for small-scale farmers, LSLAs have become a serious threat to their livelihoods. …

2022-08-03
What (r)evolutions do we need? The Land Matrix at the LANDac International Conference

Author: Christoph Kubitza

The 2022 LANDac International Conference took place under the theme “Governing land for the future. What (r)evolutions do we need?” from 29 June to 1 July. As always, the event was hosted in the small city of Utrecht, the Netherlands, bringing together both researchers and practitioners. This …

2022-07-29
The Land Matrix at the GLF 2022

The month of May marked a milestone for many of us involved in the land sector, as we were finally able to come together in person for the first time since the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic at one of the main events in the calendar – the Global Land …

2022-07-26
Little change in land governance practice

Authors: Ward Anseeuw, Jeremy Bourgoin, and Angela Harding
Published: 2022
Source: Rural 21 - The International Journal for Rural Development

Without doubt, the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) have promoted development and uptake of global and regional land policy frameworks and guidelines. But what about implementation …

2022-07-07
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022

Authors: FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO
Published: 2022
Source: FAO

This year’s report should dispel any lingering doubts that the world is moving backwards in its efforts to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms. We are now only eight years away from 2030, but the …

2022-07-07
Pass the Land Use Act

Source: The Manila Times
Published: 29 June 2022

A recent report published by the Land Matrix Initiative has shed some light on the extent of so-called large-scale land acquisitions (LSLA) in the Philippines, and the news is not encouraging. The Philippines is among the top five countries in all …

2022-06-30
Undercover land rush

Author: Ben Kritz
Source: The Manila Times
Published: 28 June 2022

LAND use is a touchy subject in any country, and particularly so here in the Philippines. The seemingly endless struggle to produce enough food for a steadily expanding population is constantly handicapped by strong competition for control of …

2022-06-28
Large-scale agricultural investments, employment opportunities and communal conflict

Authors: Alexander De Juan, Lisa Hoffmann and Jann Lay
Published: 2022
Source: OSF Preprints

This paper, co-authored by the Land Matrix's Jann Lay from GIGA and using Land Matrix data, investigates whether and how large-scale agricultural investments (LSAIs) influence the risk of communal conflict. The study assessed a mechanism that …

2022-06-28
Small farmers are the backbone of food security during the war – and must be supported after the victory

The closer we get to the harvest season, the more often we hear the global community’s statements that Russian aggression in Ukraine is spreading terror and hunger far beyond our country. How the war will affect the world’s food security and the possible ways of dealing with the issue were …

2022-06-14
The value of so-called ‘failed’ large-scale land acquisitions

Authors: Saturnino M. Borras Jr, Jennifer C. Franco, Tsegaye Moreda, Yunan Xu, Natacha Bruna, Binyam Afewerk Demena
Published: 2022
Source: Land Use Policy

This article intensively engages with the Land Matrix's contributions. It underscores that the land rush has remained, and is likely to remain, a significant global phenomenon despite …

2022-06-03
Large-Scale Land Deals and Social Conflict: Evidence and Policy Implications

Authors: Alexander De Juan, Daniel Geissel, Jann Lay, and Rebecca Lohmann
Published: 2022
Source: GIGA

How do large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) increase the risk of conflict, and what kind of policies can mitigate this effect? We address these questions with a systematic and policy-oriented synthesis of prior research. First, we …

2022-06-03
Take back the land from the invaders, not from Mother Nature!

Authors: Mykhailo Amosov
Source: Ecoaction
Published: 19 May 2022

As we witness a time when a third of Ukraine’s arable land is under current occupation by Russian troops or was previously occupied and is still mined by Russia, it’s obvious that the economic interest in the most profitable use of …

2022-05-24
Global Land Forum 2022

The Global Land Forum (GLF) 2022, organized by the International Land Coalition, will be held from 21 to 26 May in Swemeh, Jordan. The GLF will focus on engaging young people in the country and region in building a sustainable future.

Global and overarching themes will include:

  • People-centred land governance …

2022-05-24
Ukraine’s front-line farmers battle to feed the world

An estimated 10 million hectares — a third of Ukraine’s total farmland — has been knocked out of production either because it's occupied by Russian troops or because the land is strewn with landmines, unexploded shells and the charred remains of tanks and other military hardware, said Mykhailo Amosov, …

2022-05-23
RICS Land Journal: Initiative casts doubt on benefits of land rush

Authors: Danya-Zee Pedra and Christoph Kubitza
Published: 2022
Source: RICS Land Journal

In 2007/08, agricultural commodity prices spiked. Following a similar pattern of rising food prices last year, independent global monitor the Land Matrix Initiative reviewed the global land rush in developing countries. The alarming results are explained in this …

2022-05-23
Little progress in practice: Assessing transparency, inclusiveness and sustainability in large-scale land acquisitions in Africa

While acknowledging the progress made in terms of investment guidelines and land policy reforms at national and global levels over the last 10 years, the Land Matrix Initiative reveals staggeringly low compliance with these in Africa – an indication of the lack of change in investment and land governance practice. …

2022-05-16
Transparency, inclusiveness and sustainability in global (land) investment

Notwithstanding aspirational global frameworks and policy reforms at national levels with regards global investment, in general and in agriculture and land in particular, an essential question remains: how have these significant legal improvements impacted on the practices on the ground? On one hand, this Infopoint conference endeavors to contribute to …

2022-05-12
As Russia’s war against Ukraine escalates, the threat of hunger looms over the world

Authors: Mykhailo Amosov and Maria Diachuk, Ecoaction Center for Environmental Initiatives
Source: Euromaidan Press
Published: 15 April 2022

Russia’s war against Ukraine has escalated the threat of hunger around the world. Ukraine is a major supplier of food products to the world, especially, to the developing countries. The Russian invasion …

2022-05-05
Call for abstracts - LANDac 2022 Annual Conference

UPDATE: Three sessions have been added to the overview, which are open for abstracts. Have a look at the call above to see the renewed overview of all the sessions. 

Abstracts should be submitted by 15th of April, in English and using the Abstract Submission Form. Please …

2022-04-11
Land deals increase income, but not well-being

Source: Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, Switzerland
Published: 7 April 2022

Much arable land in developing countries is inefficiently managed or lies fallow: Since this became the accepted, World Bank-endorsed narrative in 2008, it has shaped the agricultural policies of many developing countries. At the same …

2022-04-07
Land on the move: Inequality and consolidation of agricultural land in Serbia

Author: Katarina Kusic and Sladjana Lazic
Source: Lefteast
Published: 11 March 2022

While the recent protests in Serbia have focused on environmental protection specifically and the increasingly authoritarian nature of the ruling party more generally, the catalyst for the protests is land. They started in reaction to a planned lithium …

2022-04-05
Land tenure in support of land degradation neutrality

Authors: J. D. Unruh , S. Akhobadze , H. O. Ibrahim , B. Karapinar, B. S. Kusum , M. Montoiro , M. S. Santivane
Published: 2019
Source: FAO - Land Tenure Journal

Land degradation neutrality (LDN) as a broad framework guiding research, policy and practice has gained considerable attention in …

2022-03-31
Land Matrix Initiative statement on the war in Ukraine

The Land Matrix Initiative and all its partners are deeply shocked and concerned about the russian aggression and war against Ukraine and the violation of international law. We express our solidarity with our partners from Ukraine, and all the Ukrainian people.

We call for the war to be stopped immediately. …

2022-03-23
Russian invasion in Ukraine could threaten global food security and starve hundreds of millions globally

Source: Kyiv School of Economics
Published: 4 March 2022

Background
Wheat and corn account for almost of 30% of all calories or simply all food (in various forms) in the world. Ukraine and Russia together export about 30% of all wheat and about 18% of all corn in the world. …

2022-03-18
Almost a third part of Ukrainian crops could be abandoned or inaccessible

Source: UNCG
Published: 16 march 2022

For more than 20 days, a war on an unprecedented scale has been going on in Europe. Russia started this war, expecting to take control of key Ukrainian cities and break down the resistance in just a few days. It has become evident that …

2022-03-18
Large-scale agricultural investments and household vulnerability to food insecurity: Evidence from Kenya, Madagascar and Mozambique

Authors: Wegayehu Fitawek and Sheryl L Hendriks
Published: 2022
Source: African Journal on Land Policy and Geospatial Sciences

This study, which used Land Matrix data, set out to estimate the role of large-scale agricultural investments (LSAIs) on household vulnerability to food insecurity in sample communities in Kenya, Madagascar and Mozambique …

2022-03-08
Virtual events held in 2021 to boost up UNDFF implementation in the region

Author: Irish Baguilat, Coordinator for the UNDFF and Women Farmers' Agenda of AFA
Source: Asian Farmers' Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA)
Published: 6 January 2022

The pandemic and its consequences have had a huge impact on the livelihoods and welfare of small-scale family farmers. As expressed and observed, the …

2022-01-28
Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) 2022

Every year, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) discusses current topics and issues with global outreach. The 2022 GFFA will address the issue “Sustainable Land Use: Food Security Starts with the Soil” and will thus deal with one of the most important challenges for the global food situation …

2022-01-18
LANDac 2022 Annual Conference

The LANDac Annual International Conference offers a podium for knowledge exchange between researchers, practitioners and private sector representatives working on land governance for equitable and sustainable development. Anticipating that restrictions for travel and large-scale events will still be in place, the LANDac Annual International Conference 2022 will be held in …

2022-01-14
What are the effects of large-scale land acquisitions in Africa on selected economic and social indicators?

Authors: Dr Regina Neudert and Dr Lieske Voget-Kleschin
Published: 2021
Source: MISEREOR

In the Global South, the demand for fertile land has resulted in international investors making large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs). Africa is by far the most targeted continent in this respect. According to the Land Matrix, 37% of the …

2021-12-13
Ukraine has the second largest area globally of land controlled by foreign investors

In September this year, the Land Matrix Initiative published its third analytical report, Taking stock of the global land rush: Few development benefits, many human and environmental risks, based on data collected on large-scale land acquisitions around the world.

According to this report, Ukraine ranks second among target countries …

2021-11-22
Learning exchange and policy dialogue on customary tenure recognition, food security and traditional livelihoods in the ASEAN region

The Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), in partnership with NTFP-EP, the MRLG alliance, and the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry, will be conducting a Regional Learning Exchange and Policy Dialogue on Customary Tenure (CT) Recognition, Food Security and Traditional Livelihoods in the …

2021-11-18
Palm oil land grabs ‘trashing’ environment and displacing people

Author: Kaamil Ahmed

Source: The Guardian

Published: 15 November 2021

Growing rush for land is destroying ecosystems and disrupting lives to satisfy global demand for goods, study warns

Businesses and governments must stop the growing rush of commodities-driven land grabbing, which is “trashing” the environment and displacing people, says new …

2021-11-18
Україна друга у світі за площею земель, контрольованих іноземними інвесторами

У вересні цього року, міжнародна ініціатива Land Matrix опублікувала аналітичний звіт “Підбиття підсумків глобальної «земельної лихоманки» – незначні вигоди, суттєві ризики для людей та довкілля” на основі зібраних даних про масштабні придбання земель по всьому світу.

Згідно з цим звітом, Україна знаходиться на 2-му місці серед країн світу за загальною …

2021-11-12
GLP Event: How can LSS use the Land Matrix Initiative database?

At this webinar, hosted by the Global Land Programme, three authors of the Land Matrix's third analytical report, Taking stock of the global land rush: Few development benefits, many human and environmental risks, will discuss the report findings and recommendations with the GLP community. The webinar will also …

2021-11-10
SUCCESS STORY: Bulgaria data campaign - Overcoming poor data coverage through local partnerships

Authors: Mykhailo Amosov and Danya-Zee Pedra

As the demand for land and natural resources accelerates in Eastern Europe, reliable, up-to-date data is crucial to monitor large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in order to ensure that their negative social and environmental impacts can be mitigated. However, collecting information about land deals is …

2021-11-02
Land and Poverty Conference 2022: Institutions for Equity and Resilience

The 21st Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty “Institutions for Equity and Resilience” - which was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak - has tentatively been scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. on March 21–25, 2022. Most papers and other contributions prepared for the 2020 Land Conference …

2021-10-13
2021 Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA-2021)

The fourth CLPA is scheduled to take place over 2 - 4 November 2021 combining online and conventional sessions in a hybrid format, in Kigali, Rwanda, under the theme: “Land governance for safeguarding art, culture and heritage towards the Africa We Want”.  The Conference's theme aligns with the African Union …

2021-10-13
What have we learned over a decade on since the global land rush?

Authors: Christoph Kubitza and Danya-Zee Pedra

Current spikes in global food prices bring up old memories of similarly escalating food prices in 2007/2008 and the associated rush for agricultural land in developing countries. Seeing these recurring patterns in prices, it is ever more urgent to understand if the past global …

2021-10-11
Free online course: Geospatial Technology and Participatory Methods for Securing Tenure Rights (GeoTech4Tenure)

This free online learning programme supports IFAD and FAO projects and partners in finding solutions to secure tenure rights through participatory methods and geomatics technology.

This course is intended for development partners and organizations interested or involved in FAO and IFAD operations. It was designed with IFAD and FAO country …

2021-10-05
Land Matrix Analytical Report III: Taking stock of the global land rush

More than 10 years since the surge in large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in developing countries which followed the spike in agricultural commodity prices in the late 2000s, the Land Matrix Initiative has taken stock of the “global land rush” and its socio-economic and environmental impacts in this, our third analytical …

2021-09-27
Asia Land Forum & Regional Assembly 2021

The annual Asia Land Forum will take place from 26 to 29 October 2021 under the theme of Securing Land Rights and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Taking into account the accomplishments that the land community across the region has made so far, this year’s Forum will further explore the challenges …

2021-09-20
Africa Land Forum 2021

ILC Africa's annual Land Forum will take place virtually from October 26-28 under the theme “Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa through partnerships for inclusive land governance”. The forum will bring together the region’s foremost actors on land governance to explore opportunities, and mobilise forces, on building forward using …

2021-09-17
Perfiles de País: Paraguay

Aunque Paraguay cuenta con una alta biodiversidad en sus seis ecorregiones, en las últimas cinco décadas el país perdió casi el 90% de la cobertura boscosa original de su territorio, debido a la expansión de las actividades agrícolas y ganaderas, en particular en la región del Chaco. Esta expansión generó …

2021-09-14
Country profile: Paraguay

Although Paraguay boasts high biodiversity in all its six eco-regions, in the last five decades, it has lost almost 90% of its original forest cover due to the expansion of agricultural and livestock activities, particularly in the Chaco region. This expansion has also generated multiple conflicts over land tenure between …

2021-09-14
Webinar: Land Matrix Analytical Report III - Taking stock of the global land rush

In this webinar, taking place on Tuesday 28 September 2021 from 13:00-14:00 CEST, the Land Matrix Initiative (LMI) will launch its third analytical report, Taking stock of the global land rush: Few development benefits, many human and environmental risks. The webinar will present an opportunity to discuss the …

2021-09-08
Food systems: seven priorities to end hunger and protect the planet

Here’s how the United Nations should harness science and technology to improve nutrition and safeguard the environment.

Authors: Joachim von Braun , Kaosar Afsana , Louise O. Fresco & Mohamed Hassan

Source: Nature

Published: 30 August 2021

The world’s food system is in disarray. One in ten people is undernourished. …

2021-09-01
Tracking down the elusive data on land deals in Malawi

Author: Madalitso A. Kamenya, Agricultural Economist, Land Matrix Africa (hosted by the University of Pretoria)

Land is one of the most valuable assets in Malawi, but is considered underdeveloped. To increase productivity, efforts have therefore been made to increase large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) throughout the country. However, information on these …

2021-07-26
Tierras Estatales Transformadas en Grandes Transacciones de Tierras

En el marco de su beca doctoral del Programa Land Matrix, Cristian Venencia presento el Primer Informe Técnico del año 2021 titulado: «Tierras estatales transformadas en Grandes transacciones de tierras». El informe aborda dos casos de estudios, que representan cuatro grandes transacciones de tierras registradas en la base de datos …

2021-07-05
Research into impacts of agricultural land concentration on Ukrainian environment and society

Authors: Evheniia Maruniak, Serhii Lisovskyi, Oleksandr Holubtsov, Viktor Chekhnii, Yurii Farion, and Mykhailo Amosov
Published: 2021
Source: Center for Environmental Initiatives Ecoaction

Generally, the term ‘land concentration’ is used to denote large-scale purchases or leasing of agricultural land, predominantly by private and public investors and agribusinesses in order to manufacture …

2021-06-23
Land grabs – The new red flag for Uzbek cotton sector

Apparel brands are said to be eyeing Uzbekistan as a potential source of cotton, particularly with Xinjiang cotton now the subject of US sanctions. A process of reform has made significant progress on forced labour issues in Uzbekistan, but now another issue has arisen: land-grabs. In this special piece for …

2021-06-07
Transparency for whom? Grounding land investment transparency in the needs of local actors

Author: Sam Szoke-Burke
Published: 2021
Source: Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

Transparency is often seen as a means of improving governance and accountability of investment, but its potential to do so is hindered by vague definitions and failures to focus on the needs of key local actors. In a new …

2021-05-27
Transparency of land-based investments: Cameroon country snapshot

Authors: Sam Szoke-Burke, Samuel Nguiffo, and Stella Tchoukep
Published: 2021
Source: Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

Despite a recent transparency law and participation in transparency initiatives, Cameroon’s investment environment remains plagued by poor transparency. In a new report focusing on agribusiness projects in Cameroon, CCSI and the Centre pour …

2021-05-27
Large-scale land acquisitions, agricultural trade, and zoonotic diseases: Overlooked links

Authors: Markus Giger, Sandra Eckert and Jann Lay
Published: 2021
Source: One Earth

A new commentary in One Earth highlights the link between large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs), deforestation, and emerging zoonotic diseases. Analysing Land Matrix data from 2,485 domestic and international large-scale agricultural deals, the authors found that 87% of …

2021-05-22
Energy implications of the 21st century agrarian transition

Authors: Lorenzo Rosa, Maria Cristina Rulli, Saleem Ali et al.
Published: 2021
Source: Nature Communications

Large-scale land acquisitions for commercial agriculture and cash crops have been rising at an alarming rate worldwide. This research, using Land Matrix datasets, considers the hidden energy consumption and carbon impact of this "great agrarian …

2021-05-14
Forests to the foreigners: Large-scale land acquisitions in Gabon

Authors: Danielle D. Legault and Logan Cochrane
Published: 2021
Source: Land

For the past decade, the land rush discourse has analyzed foreign investment in land and agriculture around the world, with Africa being a continent of particular focus due to the scale of acquisitions that have taken place. Gabon, a …

2021-04-21
Perfiles de País: Uruguay

Uruguay tiene más de 144 000 000 de hectáreas de tierra agrícola, que representan el 82% del territorio nacional, un porcentaje muy alto si se considera que el promedio de América Latina no supera el 40%2. En Uruguay, el proceso de apropiación y concentración de tierras es un fenómeno que …

2021-04-19
Country profile: Uruguay

Uruguay has more than 144 million hectares of agricultural land, representing 82% of the national territory, a very high percentage compared to the Latin American average of less than 40%. Appropriation and concentration of land in Uruguay is a process that dates back to colonial times, and it has greatly …

2021-04-19
Perfiles de País: Brasil

Brasil es el país más grande de toda América Latina y el quinto país más grande del mundo. Lamentablemente, el país también ocupa el segundo lugar a nivel mundial en términos de pérdida de bosques en las últimas dos décadas. Esta deforestación se asocia principalmente con la ganadería y la …

2021-04-19
Perfiles de País: Argentina

Argentina, como el resto de América Latina y el Caribe (LAC), sufrió un intenso proceso de deforestación y pérdida de cobertura natural en las últimas décadas. Esto es importante a nivel regional y global, siendo Argentina el octavo país más grande del mundo, con una superficie de más de 2,7 …

2021-04-19
Evaluating the impact of large-scale agricultural investments on household food security using an endogenous switching regression model

Authors: Wegayehu Fitawek and Sheryl L Hendriks
Published: 2021
Source: Land

This study set out to estimate the effects of large-scale agricultural investments (LSAIs) on household food security in one community each in Kenya, Madagascar and Mozambique. An endogenous switching regression model was adopted to control for a possible selection …

2021-03-23
Africa’s Land Rush – what do we really know?

Oxfam Blogs guest post by Wytske Chamberlain and Wegayehu Fitawek of Land Matrix Africa, hosted by the University of Pretoria 

Remember the global riots over food set off by sharp spikes in commodity prices in 2008? The biofuel hype as THE solution to dirty oil? And the financial crisis that …

2021-03-16
UNDER THE COVER OF COVID: New Laws in Asia Favor Business at the Cost of Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Communities’ Land and Territorial Rights

This brief, published by the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, Coalition for Tenure Justice in Indonesia, and the Rights and Resources Initiative, discusses legislative developments during COVID-19 in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines that undermine sustainable human-environment interactions and Indigenous Peoples' and Local Communities' broader enjoyment of their rights over their …

2021-02-18
Large-scale land investments and forests in Africa

Authors: Caterina Conigliani, Nadia Cuffaro and Giovanna D’Agostino
Published: 2018
Source: Land Use Policy

Recent years have witnessed an increasing interest in land-based investments for food, feed, fuel, and fibre, driven by the volatility in commodity prices, economic growth of emerging economies, policy drivers of biofuel demand, and investor strategies …

2021-02-15
PAKISAMA and AFA conduct national presentation and review of the draft report on the overlaps of KBAs, PAs and large-scale land acquisitions in the Philippines

Are the Philippines’ Protected Areas (PAs) and Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) free from the encroachment of large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs)? What policies and programmes can we recommend to ensure that these PAs and KBAs are protected? What mitigating actions can we do in areas where there are already LSLAs?

The …

2021-02-11
Carbon emissions from the global land rush and potential mitigation

Authors: Chuan Liao, Kerstin Nolte, Jonathan A. Sullivan, Daniel G. Brown, Jann Lay, Christof Althoff and Arun Agrawal

Published: 2021

Source: Nature Food

Large-scale land transactions can promote agricultural intensification, but may be accompanied by negative socioeconomic and environmental consequences. Estimated carbon emissions from converting transacted lands to large-scale farms, …

2021-01-25
Bulletin Actualité Foncière de Observatoire National de la Gouvernance Foncière

Pour répondre au manque d’informations transparentes sur les investissements à incidences foncières, la société civile Sénégalaise, au sein du cadre de réflexion et d’action sur le foncier au Sénégal (CRAFS), a lancé en 2015 une plate-forme multipartite, appelée Observatoire National de la Gouvernance Foncière (ONGF), pour suivre les dyna-miques …

2020-12-21
Country profile: Argentina

As with the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Argentina has experienced an intense process of deforestation and loss of natural vegetation in the last few decades. As the eighth-largest country in the world, with a total mainland area of more than 2.7 million km squared, this not …

2020-12-15
Country profile: Ghana

Since large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) cover less than 9% of Ghana’s 4.7 million hectares of arable land, it may not seem like they would have a significant impact on the country’s agricultural landscape. However, their impact in fact goes far beyond the land footprint only, through their use of water …

2020-12-10
Uneven ground: Land inequality at the heart of unequal societies

Authors: Ward Anseeuw and Giulia Maria Baldinelli

Published: 2020

Source: International Land Coalition

In most countries, land inequality is growing. Worse, new measures and analysis published in this synthesis report show that land inequality is significantly higher than previously reported. The “uneven ground” alluded to in the title of this …

2020-11-26
Land Inequality Week

Land inequality is on the rise. Globally, the top 10% of landowners of rural populations capture 60% of agricultural land value, while the bottom 50% of rural populations capture only 3% of land value. These are just some of the shocking findings that will be presented at the launch of …

2020-11-20
Investigación muestra la desigual distribución de la tierra en el Chaco salteño

Aplicando el coeficiente de Gini para analizar las grandes transacciones de tierra realizadas desde el año 2000, esta investigación, del proyecto Grandes Transacciones de Tierras (GTT), a través de la Iniciativa Land Matrix, revela que el Chaco de Salta es una de las regiones más afectadas por el desmonte …

2020-11-11
Latin America Outreach Campaign: “Land Grabbing from the inside”

“Land Grabbing from the inside” -- Who is involved? What are the consequences? Why is it so difficult to fight?

Throughout the month of November, Land Matrix LAC, in collaboration with the ILC LAC, will be carrying out an exciting Outreach Campaign to explore the issue of land grabbing in …

2020-10-30
Outcome Report: Workshop on operationalizing the Action Plan for the ASEAN RAI

The ASEAN Guidelines and Action Plan on Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry workshop, held from 30-31 July 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand, brought together more than 60 participants from ASEAN governments, the global and regional private sector, civil society organizations, farmer organizations and other key stakeholders. The aim of …

2020-10-29
The ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry

The primary purpose of the ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry ('ASEAN RAI') is to promote investment in food, agriculture and forestry in the ASEAN region that contributes to regional economic development, food and nutrition security, food safety and equitable benefits, as well as the …

2020-10-29
Country profile: Brazil

Brazil is the largest country in both South America and Latin America and is the world’s fifth-largest country by area. Sadly, however, the country ranks second-highest globally in terms of forest loss in the last two decades, mostly associated with cattle ranching and agriculture, as seen in the Amazon basin, …

2020-10-19
Second Arab Land Conference

The Second Arab Land Conference, taking place from 22-24 February 2021 in Cairo, Egypt, marks an important milestone in the roadmap towards establishing good land governance in the Arab region. The conference will promote good land management and land administration by focusing on the priorities of the Arab Land …

2020-10-14
The parable of arable land: Characterising large-scale land acquisitions through network analysis

Authors: Roberto Interdonato, Jérémy Bourgoin, Quentin Grislain, Matteo Zignani, Sabrina Gaito and Markus Giger

Published: 2020

Source: PLOS ONE

Land is a scarce resource and its depletion is related to a combination of demographic and economic factors. Hence, the changes in dietary habits and increase in world population that upturn …

2020-10-14
Policy brief: Responsible large-scale agricultural investments in and by G20 countries - A call for more transparency

Authors: Insa Flachsbarth, Jann Lay, Kerstin Nolte, Angela Harding, Ward Anseeuw and Jérémy Bourgoin

Published: 2020

Source: Think20 (T20) Saudi Arabia 2020

This policy brief, produced by the Land Matrix for the T20 Saudi Arabia 2020 Summit, suggests that, in light of the fact the G20 has recognised the …

2020-10-13
Профіль країни: Україна

З 60 мільйонів гектарів (га) усієї території України 55 % є ріллею, що є найвищим показником в Європі. Загалом сільськогосподарські угіддя займають більше 70% території країни. Наявність величезних земельних ресурсів очікувано спричинила бурхливу дискусію стосовно того, як мають виглядати земельні відносини після розпаду Радянського Союзу. За часів Радянського Союзу земля …

2020-10-07
2020 Asia Land Forum & Regional Assembly

The Asia Land Forum and Regional Assembly, organised by the International Land Coalition Asia (ILC Asia) and taking place 6-9 October, aims at developing a common ground of the political, economic, environmental, and social linkages between land governance, food security, poverty, and democracy.

The Covid-19 pandemic is a wake-up …

2020-10-02
Driving dispossession: The global push to “unlock the economic potential of land”

Authors: Frédéric Mousseau, Andy Currier, Elizabeth Fraser, and Jessie Green

Published: 2020

Source: The Oakland Institute

Driving Dispossession: The Global Push to “Unlock the Economic Potential of Land,” sounds the alarm on the unprecedented wave of privatization of natural resources that is underway around the world. Through six case studies—Ukraine, …

2020-09-11
WEBINAR: Driving dispossession - The global push to “unlock the economic potential of land”

This free webinar taking place on Thursday 17 September will bring together activists and experts from three case countries who will expose the drivers and impact of efforts to privatise land, explore their interconnected nature, and overview the change of course required for the people and the planet.

The webinar …

2020-09-11
Foreign agriculture investments don’t always threaten food security: The case of Madagascar

Authors: Wegayehu Fitawek and Prof Sheryl L Hendriks

Source: The Conversation

Published: 1 September 2020

Large-scale land acquisitions have been increasing in developing countries following the 2007/8 high food price crisis. Countries with limited agricultural potential, like Gulf states, have been driving foreign acquisitions in developing countries. Many …

2020-09-08
Report: Land use changes and investments in selected regions of Ukraine

Authors: Anton Biatov, Oleh Prylutskyi and Mykhailo Amosov

Published: 2020

Source: Ecoaction

How careful are the agricultural companies with the land they use? This study tried to answer this question by conducting a remote assessment of the state of land in areas where businesses have invested in agriculture.

There is …

2020-09-07
Country profile: Ukraine

Of Ukraine’s 60 million hectares (ha) of total land area, 55% is classified as arable land, which is the highest ratio in Europe. While this incredible wealth of fertile land has earned Ukraine the title of the ‘breadbasket of Europe’, it has also caused intense debate on how land relations …

2020-09-02
Africa Land Forum 2020

Delivering on the African Union Agenda 2063 by Promoting People-Centred Land Governance in Africa

In partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the 2020 Africa Land Forum will be held online from 15-17 September . The Forum will bring together 300-500 participants from …

2020-09-01
Uganda Land Observatory knowledge and information platform is live!

The Uganda Land Observatory has developed a dynamic new website dedicated to capturing existing knowledge and collecting new data on land deals in the country. The goal of the Uganda Land Observatory is to strengthen land governance and improve transparency in land transactions to promote greater consistency with the Africa …

2020-08-13
A look at the Senegalese agricultural model: Land practices and territorial specificities of medium and large-scale farms

Authors: Jérémy Bourgoin, Djibril Diop, Djiby Dia, Moussa Sall, Romaric Zagré, Quentin Grislain, and Ward Anseeuw

Published: 2020

Source: Cahiers Agricultures

The food issue related to population growth is at the heart of international sustainable development agendas and feeds the debates on the transitions to be undertaken or supported. Often …

2020-08-05
Regard sur le modèle agricole sénégalais: Pratiques foncières et particularités territoriales des moyennes et grandes exploitations agricoles

Auteurs: Jérémy Bourgoin, Djibril Diop, Djiby Dia, Moussa Sall, Romaric Zagré, Quentin Grislain et Ward Anseeuw

Publié: 2020

La source: Cahiers Agricultures

L’enjeu alimentaire lié à l’augmentation démographique est au cœur des agendas internationaux de développement durable et nourrit les débats sur les transitions à entreprendre ou soutenir. Souvent défini …

2020-08-05
Large agricultural investments in Kenya’s Nanyuki Area: Inventory and analysis of business models

Authors: Markus Giger, Emily Mutea, Boniface Kiteme, Sandra Eckert, Ward Anseeuw, Julie G. Zaehringer

Published: 2020

Source: Land Use Policy journal

Many experts agree that more agricultural investment is needed in the global South to improve local food security and reduce poverty. However, there is a lack of consensus about …

2020-06-29
Tropical forest loss enhanced by large-scale land acquisitions

Authors: Davis, K.F., Koo, H.I., Dell’Angelo, J. et al.

Published: 2020

Source: Nature Geoscience

Tropical forests are vital for global biodiversity, carbon storage and local livelihoods, yet they are increasingly under threat from human activities. Large-scale land acquisitions have emerged as an important mechanism linking global resource demands to forests …

2020-06-26
Better understanding land acquisition in Ghana through the Land Matrix Data Campaign

Ghana has seen a significant surge in large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in recent years, and has in fact become one of the LSLA hotspots in Africa. However, since the way in which the number of transactions, estimated size of land, and categorisation of LSLAs is captured varies considerably between different …

2020-05-15
RICS Land Journal: What’s the big deal?

Authors: Cecilia Coccia, Angela Harding and Danya-Zee Pedra

Published: 2020

Source: RICS Land Journal

In the latest issue of the RICS Land Journal, the Land Matrix explains how large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) can have substantial global impacts, and why the availability of reliable, up-to-date data is crucial to understand the …

2020-05-11
Land inequality and economic growth: A meta-analysis

Authors: Maria Cipollina, Nadia Cuffaro and Giovanna D’Agostino

Published: 2018

Source: Sustainability, MDPI

Increasing commercial pressure on land may lead to land concentration in developing countries, especially in the context of complex systems of property rights. In this article we review through meta-analysis (MA) the econometric findings of the …

2020-05-06
Elementos para el análisis de la dinámica reciente del acaparamiento de tierra en Colombia a partir de los casos de grandes transacciones de tierra monitoreados por Land Matrix

Autora: Natalia Espinosa Rincón

Fecha de publicación: 2020

La procedencia: Land Matrix LAC

Este artículo presenta algunas características del proceso reciente de acaparamiento de tierras en Colombia que se pueden observar a partir de los datos recogidos por el Observatorio Land Matrix, en el que se han registrado más de …

2020-04-14
How sustainable land use in Ukraine is ignored

Authors: Mykhailo Amosov and Valentin Pugachev

Published: February 2020 (original)

Source: Ecoaction

Some Ukrainian agro-companies are contravening the law by illegally operating in protected areas of nature reserves and slopes. At the same time, local authorities continue to make such land privately owned and do not control its use.

These …

2020-04-01
Land deals in Africa: Many suffer challenges

Author: Phillan Zamchiya

Published: 2020

Source: Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)

Abstract: Globally, Africa remains the largest continent attracting land-based investments from the world. Data from the Land Matrix indicates that there were 422 transnational land deals concluded in the agricultural sector (42% of all global deals) …

2020-03-30
Appel à candidature: Cours en ligne sur l’accaparement des terres et ses réponses

Un cours en ligne est proposé par AGTER et la Coalition Internationale pour l’accès à la terre, afin de proposer des outils d'analyse face à l’accaparement des terres dans le monde AGTER et la Coalition Internationale pour l’accès à la terre invitent les membres d’organisations paysannes et de la …

2020-03-12
Going beyond panaceas: The diversity of land observatory forms in Africa

Authors: Quentin Grislain, Jeremy Bourgoin, Ward Anseeuw, Perrine Burnod, Eva Hershaw and Djibril Diop

Published: 2020

Source: Land Journal

In recent decades, mechanisms for observation and information production have proliferated in an attempt to meet the growing needs of stakeholders to access dynamic data for the purposes of informed decision-making. …

2020-03-03
Characterizing large-scale land acquisitions through network analysis

Authors: Roberto Interdonato, Jeremy Bourgoin, Quentin Grislain, Matteo Zignani, Sabrina Gaito, and Markus Giger

Published: 2019

Source: Complex Networks and Their Applications VIII. COMPLEX NETWORKS 2019. Studies in Computational Intelligence, vol 882. Springer, Cham

Large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) by private companies or states have seen a sudden increase in recent …

2019-12-09
2019 Conference on Land Policy in Africa: Technology and innovation will help speed up removal of land sector corruption in Africa - African Development Bank

Source: Land Portal

Published: 27 November 2019

African countries must act faster to purge corruption in the land sector by harnessing technology and innovation, African Development Bank Senior Vice President Charles Boamah urged on Monday.

Boamah, who was speaking to policymakers and stakeholders at a conference on Land Policy in …

2019-11-28
World Bank Land and Poverty Conference 2020: Institutions for Equity and Resilience

March 16-20, 2020 - Washington, DC

The 21st Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty will present the latest research and innovations in policies and good practice on land governance around the world. The conference has become one of the largest international events on land governance, attracting over 1,400 …

2019-11-18
ILC Africa 2019 Regional Assembly and Land Forum

The 2019 Regional Assembly of the Africa Platform of International Land Coalition will be held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast from 21 to 24 November 2019.

This year’s event is special because it happens just before the 3rd Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA), a continental event organised by the …

2019-11-18
2019 Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA-2019)

The third edition of the Conference on Land Policy in Africa, a stimulating policy dialogue dedicated to promoting good land governance on the continent, will take place from 25 to 29 November 2019 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

This year’s gathering is hosted by the African Development Bank under the …

2019-11-18
Webinar: The State of Support for Open Data in Land Governance

"Where are the opportunities to take forward an ambitious transparency, anti-corruption and open data agenda in the land sector?"

This webinar, co-hosted by GIZ, the Land Portal Foundation, Omidyar Network, Open Data Charter and Open Data for Development (OD4D) network, will explore routes to realize the potential of open data …

2019-11-01
The land question: Land concentration and the agricultural land moratorium in Ukraine

Author: Mykhailo Amosov

Published: 2019

Source: Ecoaction

For nearly thirty years, the question of land reform has occupied Ukrainians. The current stalemate on land policy seems unbreakable. This article, by Mykhailo Amosov from our Eastern Europe Regional Focal Point, Ecoaction, considers how the ‘land question’ has developed over …

2019-10-24
Planning and advocacy in Cameroon with the Land Matrix

The African continent is the most targeted region for large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in the global south. Given the sheer scale of this, monitoring these deals can be extremely challenging – but it is crucial that we do so, as access to land is closely linked to a number of …

2019-10-04
Greener Pastures For Ukrainian Farmers? Zelenskiy Plows Ahead With Land Reform

Author: Tony Wesolowsky

Published: 2019

Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

With some of the world's most nutrient-packed soil, Ukraine has long been considered "the breadbasket of Europe". But since the collapse of communism, buying and selling the country's chornozem, or black earth, has been banned, amid fears that the wealthy …

2019-09-24
This Land Is My Land! Large-Scale Land Acquisitions and Conflict Events in Sub-Saharan Africa

Authors: Sara Balestri and Mario A. Maggioni

Published: 2019

Source: Journal of Defence and Peace Economics

The paper, which uses Land Matrix data, provides evidence that large-scale land acquisitions in sub-Saharan Africa raise the likelihood of experiencing outbursts of organised violence. This evidence is achieved through a spatially disaggregated approach, …

2019-09-15
Redress for land and resource rights violations: a legal empowerment agenda

Authors: Brendan Schwartz, Lorenzo Cotula, Masalu Luhula, Tomaso Ferrando and Hayden Fairburn

Published: 2019

Source: IIED

A recent wave of large-scale commercial investments in agriculture, extractive industries and other land-based sectors has compounded the ‘global resource squeeze’ in low- and middle-income countries. But many communities affected by land rights violations …

2019-09-10
Land deals threaten to impair River Nile

Author: Fredrick Mugira

Source: New Vision

Published: 26 March 2019

In the hilly southwestern region of Uganda, a life-line river of about five million people has had up to 80 percent of its water dry up. The national environment watchdog, NEMA, says the prime factor drying Rwizi River is illegal …

2019-09-10
Land Fumbles: The Hangover Effects of the Great Land Grab

Author: Scott Schang

Source: Land Portal

Published: 7 June 2019

In the past decade, significant international attention has focused on “land grabs” in developing countries by companies and others hungry for land to grow food and procure resources for the world’s growing population. Tens of millions of acres of land …

2019-09-10
Ten years of contested enforcement of the Forest Law in Salta, Argentina: The role of land-change science and political ecology

Authors: AGJ Salas Barboza, JM Cardón Pocoví, C Venencia, LL Huaranca, JL Agüero, MA Iribarnegaray, M Escosteguy, JN Volante & L Seghezzo

Published: 2019

Source: Journal of Land Use Science

In this study, the authors present a critical account of the enforcement of the Forest Law in the Province of …

2019-09-10
Argentina country profile

This detailed country profile presents the Land Matrix data for large-scale land acquisitions in Argentina.

2019-08-30
Fiebre por la tierra. Debates sobre el land grabbing en Argentina y América Latina

Compiladora: Agostina Costantino

Publicado: 2019

Fuente: Editorial El Colectivo

En este libro nos proponemos discutir la magnitud, implicancias, trayectoria y características que ha tenido el acaparamiento de tierras en Argentina y en la región en los últimos años. Nos encontramos economistas, sociólogos, politólogos, historiadores, geógrafos, biólogos y ecólogos para que …

2019-08-29
The state of land-based investments in Tanzania: A situational analysis report

Author: Emmanuel Sulle

Published: 2017

Source: Tanzania Natural Resource Forum

From the mid-2000s, Tanzania has experienced a significant interest in land-based investments, with foreign investors leasing chunks of land for agriculture, tourism and forest plantations. To date, few land-based investments have generated significant incomes for rural communities, while others are …

2019-08-29
Policy brief: Making land-based investments work for communities in Tanzania

Authors: Masalu Luhula, Godfrey Massay, Naomi Shadrack, Zakaria Faustin, Sophia Masuka and Emmanuel Sulle

Published: 2019

Source: Tanzania Natural Resource Forum

Tanzanian policy makers have an opportunity to spearhead the implementation of the country’s industrialisation agenda through integrated and people-centred land-based investments. In a country where most people depend on …

2019-08-29
Palm oil production, good or bad for Africa?

Authors: Angela Harding and Danya-Zee Pedra

Source: Africa is a Country

Unsustainable palm oil industry practices—the result of large-scale land acquisitions (LSLA) across Africa's tropical belt—have resulted in a number of social and environmental concerns. Palm oil is one of the most rapidly expanding crops in Africa, and has been …

2019-07-22
Tracking changes in land governance to inform law reform in Cameroon: Methodology note

Authors: CED and IIED

Published: 2019

Source: LandCam

LandCam will track developments in policy and practice relevant to land governance, in the light of guidance or commitments contained in applicable international instruments. To develop a list of ten major policy questions to be tracked, the LandCam team identified land-related provisions …

2019-07-22
Towards fair and effective legislation on compulsory land acquisition in Cameroon

Cameroon is part of a global trend towards large-scale investments in infrastructure, agriculture, extractive industries, industrial facilities and real estate that are displacing many people. Deeming these projects in the public interest, governments often acquire land by expropriating locally-held land rights. But compulsory land acquisition has severe economic, social and …

2019-07-22
China in Cameroon’s forests: A review of issues and progress for livelihoods and sustainability

Authors: James Mayers, Samuel Nguiffo and Samuel Assembe-​Mvondo

Published: 2019

Source: IIED

Chinese investment in Cameroon – in roads, water, electricity, ports, agribusiness and forestry - is estimated to be worth two times more than all other sources of investment combined. But it comes with major implications for forests and …

2019-07-22
Apes, crops and communities: land concessions and conservation in Cameroon

Authors: Michelle Sonkoue and Samuel Nguiffo

Published: 2019

Source: IIED

Cameroon’s current land law appears to have two conflicting objectives: to attract investors through large-scale land concessions while simultaneously protecting biodiversity, defending local people’s rights and promoting rural development. But the legislation governing large-scale land-based investments is outdated and sometimes …

2019-07-21
Les observatoires fonciers en Afrique: Diversité des formes, facteurs d’émergence et de succès

Authors: Quentin Grislain, Jérémy Bourgoin, Djibril Diop, Ward Anseeuw, Perrine Burnod, and Djiby Dia

Published: 2019

In recent decades, observatories have multiplied. Some of these observatories, known as land observatories, may reflect the need for knowledge and information in view of the scale and diversity of land issues (large-scale land …

2019-07-21
IP leaders use advocacy maps to show how Kaliwa Dam will impact them

With construction set to begin imminently in order to turn Daraitan into the reservoir for the Kaliwa Dam in Rizal, Philippines, there is great concern about the impact this will have on the area and the indigenous people (IP) living there. Daraitan is part of their vast ancestral domain in …

2019-07-21
Impacts of large-scale land acquisitions on common-pool resources: Evidence from the Land Matrix

Authors: Giger, Markus; Nolte Ward Anseeuw, Kerstin; Breu, Thomas Michael; Chamberlain, Wytske O.; Messerli, Peter; Oberlack, Christoph; Haller, Tobias

Published: 2019

We are pleased to announce that members of our very own Land Matrix team have authored a chapter in the newly released book The Commons in a Glocal World: …

2019-05-28
S’approprier la terre : du libéralisme au néocolonialisme

Depuis la crise financière de 2008, la terre agricole s’impose de nouveau sur les marchés internationaux comme un placement lucratif. Si nombre d’investisseurs sont à la recherche d’une rentabilité intéressante, on observe aussi dans cette course à l’achat de terres arables de nouveaux acteurs et de nouveaux enjeux : après …

2019-05-06
Punto Focal América Latina boletín: Enero 2019

En este último número del boletín del Punto Focal América Latina, contamos con actualizaciones sobre las actividades en la región, incluyendo:

  • Nuevas grandes transacciones de tierras en América Latina
  • Contribución para un libro de acaparamiento de tierras

  • Taller para la identificación de grandes transacciones de tierras

  • Foro: Intercambio de Conocimiento …

2019-03-13
Latin America Focal Point newsletter: January 2019

In this latest issue of the Latin America Focal Point newsletter, we feature updates on activities in the region, including:

  • New large scale land acquisitions in Latin America
  • Contribution to a book about land grabbing
  • Workshop of the identification of LSLA
  • Forum: Exchange of knowledge on Semi-arid regions of Latin …

2019-03-12
Improving transparency and reliability of tenure information for improved land governance in Senegal

Authors: Jérémy Bourgoin, Elodie Valette, Simon Guillouet, Djibril Diop and Djiby Dia

Published: 2019

In current literature, certain scholars have stressed the role of the private sector in the process of revitalizing agriculture through agribusiness-led development. Others have underlined the global risks of poorly negotiated land acquisitions that disadvantage farmers …

2019-03-11
Indonesia country profile

This detailed country profile presents the Land Matrix data for large-scale land acquisitions in Indonesia.


2019-02-12
Cambodia country profile

This detailed country profile presents the Land Matrix data for large-scale land acquisitions in Cambodia.

2019-02-12
Philippines country profile

This detailed country profile presents the Land Matrix data for large-scale land acquisitions in the Philippines.

2019-02-12
Land Matrix National Land Observatory launched in Uganda

By Israel Bionyi Nyoh, Communications Specialist Africa, International Land Coalition Africa

Uganda has new combat gear – and it’s not going to be used to tear down homes and destroy lives. Instead it will arm the country with a platform to fight for land rights, peace and justice, and comes …

2018-12-10
Profil pays République Démocratique du Congo

Ce profil pays présente les données de la Land Matrix pour et comprend les acquisitions de terres à grande échelle le République Démocratique du Congo.

2018-11-20
Liberia country profile

This detailed country profile presents the Land Matrix data for large-scale land acquisitions in Liberia.

2018-11-20
Profil pays le Madagascar

Ce profil pays présente les données de la Land Matrix pour et comprend les acquisitions de terres à grande échelle le Madagascar.

2018-11-20
Sierra Leone country profile

This detailed country profile presents the Land Matrix data for large-scale land acquisitions in Sierra Leone.

2018-11-20
Profil pays le Sénégal

Ce profil pays présente les données de la Land Matrix pour et comprend les acquisitions de terres à grande échelle le Sénégal.

2018-11-20
Senegal country profile

This detailed country profile presents the Land Matrix data for large-scale land acquisitions in Senegal.

2018-11-20
Tanzania country profile

This detailed country profile presents the Land Matrix data for large-scale land acquisitions in Tanzania.

2018-11-20
Zambia country profile

This detailed country profile presents the Land Matrix data for large-scale land acquisitions in Zambia.

2018-11-20
Latin America Focal Point newsletter: September 2018

In this latest issue of the Latin America Focal Point newsletter, we feature updates on activities in the region, including:

  • New phase and strengthening of the regional partners network
  • Start-up of the National Land Observatory of Argentina
  • Strengthening the Focal Point in research issues
  • Collaboration between the Focal Point Latin …

2018-11-13
România profilul țării

Un profil detaliat al țarii, la capitolul achizițiilor de terenuri pe scară largă în România, este disponibil atât în limba engleză, cât și în limba română, precum și o hartă interactivă care detaliază încheierea de contracte de terenuri agricole în țară.


2018-10-15
Land Matrix Analytical Report I: Transnational land deals for agriculture in the Global South

Authors: Ward Anseeuw, Mathieu Boche, Thomas Breu, Markus Giger, Jann Lay, Peter Messerli and Kerstin Nolte

Published: 2012

This report draws on the Land Matrix database to analyse and better understand the phenomenon of large-scale agricultural land deals. It first provides a global overview and emphasises the indisputable reality of …

2018-10-04
Land Matrix Analytical Report II: International Land Deals for Agriculture - Fresh insights from the Land Matrix

Authors: Kerstin Nolte, Wytske Chamberlain, Markus Giger
Published: 2016

This report aims to contribute to the body of knowledge available on land acquisitions in low- and middle-income countries by presenting an up-to-date analysis of the data contained in the Land Matrix database and providing complementary evidence based on case studies. …

2018-10-04
Romania country profile

A detailed country profile of large-scale land acquisitions in Romania is available in both English and Romanian, as well as an interactive map detailing concluded agricultural land deals in the country.

2018-10-04
Land monitoring in the semi-arid regions of Latin America: LM welcomes Semiaridos new website

There is an important relationship between the semi-arid areas of Latin America and the Caribbean and land grabbing. 

In order to increase the visibility and the access to information on semi-arid regions, Plataforma Semiaridos America Latina (Semiaridos) revamped its website: www.semiaridos.org

Semiaridos, which uses Land Matrix data, is an initiative …

2016-08-08
Updates from the Latin America Focal Point


Focus: Nicaragua Grand Interoceanic Canal

The Latin America Focal Point of the Land Matrix, Fundapaz, published a newsletter on their latest activities. Here is a summary of the contents: 

  • Focus: Nicaragua Grand Interoceanic Canal 
  • Updating of existing deals in Latin America 
  • New land deals of uploaded to the database …

2016-06-14
Contextualizing local-scale point sample data using global-scale spatial datasets

Lessons learnt from the analysis of large-scale land acquisitions

This paper examines how the geospatial accuracy of samples and sample size influence conclusions from geospatial analyses. It does so using the example of a study investigating the global phenomenon of large-scale land acquisitions and the socio-ecological characteristics of the areas …

2016-02-24

Follow us
© 2024 The Land Matrix | All rights reserved