Resources
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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) …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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: …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …