This blog, which is part of a wider global initiative on Commercial Pressures on Land led by the International Land Coalition, contains press reports, research papers, case studies and any other relevant information about the new wave of “commercial pressures on land” that poor rural land-users are facing all over the world.
It seeks to provide updated information to all those trying to monitor, quantify and understand the extent of this ongoing phenomenon.
Read more about the Blog
Read more about the Commercial Pressures on Land Initiative
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Press Release: Indigenous people, forests & climate
Posted on 19 March, 2010 No comments
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DENOUNCE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY AND PARTICIPATION IN FRENCH-NORWEGIAN PARTNERSHIP ON FORESTS AND CLIMATE DISCUSSIONS.Australia.to, News, 19 March 2010
By Francesco Martone
“INDIGENOUS peoples were excluded when forest countries and donor governments met in Paris on March 11, 2010 to discuss a major forests and climate initiative. The parties met under an invitation from the French and Norwegian governments to start developing governance structures for the 3.5 billion USD Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) readiness funds announced in Copenhagen at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP15 last December. The UNFCCC negotiations are still far from delivering final commitments in full respect of indigenous peoples’rights.
“Failure to include indigenous peoples from the very inception of the French-Norwegian initiative is unacceptable. The lock-out from the Paris meeting is further evidence of the urgency to ensure full and effective participation of indigenous peoples at all levels of negotiations and discussions on issues related to their land, resources and territories and to their rights as recognized by international legal agreements and instruments such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP)” said Mina Setra, an indigenous representative from The Alliance of Archipelagic Indigenous People (AMAN), Indonesia. Read the rest of this entry »
press forests, human rights, indigenous people, land rights, r.e.d.d., [France], [Norway] -
Malaysian indigenous tribes protest land changes
Posted on 18 March, 2010 No comments
Native American Times, 18 March 2010By JULIA ZAPPEI
“Hundreds of indigenous tribal Malaysians staged a rare protest outside the prime minister’s office Wednesday to denounce potential changes to a law that they fear will rob them of land.
The Orang Asli – which means “Original People” in the Malay language – collectively refers to some 18 ethnic tribes, many of whom live in or near the rain forest in peninsular Malaysia, where they mainly hunt and grow crops.
Orang Asli tribes have long complained of being forced from state-owned land to make way for development. Activists say the Orang Asli deserve ownership of the land because their ancestors settled there thousands of years ago. Read the rest of this entry »
press land rights, private sector, [Malaysia] -
Massive jatropha farming threatens food security
Posted on 18 March, 2010 No comments
The Ghanian Chronicle, 18 march 2010By Daniel Nonor
“A study conducted by Action Aid Ghana (AAG) and FoodSPAN in four regions in Ghana has revealed that the production of biofuel is fast affecting food crop farmers in the regions.
The study indicated that due to unavailability of comprehensive policy on biofuel production in the country, its production was having adverse effect on food security, environment, human rights and in general, livelihoods of the affected communities.The study, which was conducted in the last quarter of last year (2009) covered 12 communities namely; Bredi Camp, Myomoase, Fawoman (all in the Brong Ahafo Region), Dukusen and Afrisre (in the Ashanti Region) and Agomeda in Greater Accra.
The rest include; Adidome, Tordzino, Lolito, Dedukorpe (in the Volta region) and Gomoa Adenten and Baifikrom in the Central region. Read the rest of this entry »
press agrofuels, CPL affecting family farmers, environmental degradation, food security, human rights, [China], [Ghana], [Russia], [USA] -
In Africa biggest land grab after colonial era: Reports
Posted on 17 March, 2010 No comments
Zeenews.com, 17 march 2010“London: Ethopia, one of the world’s poorest country, is selling or leasing its land to foreign investors for intensive agriculture on such a scale that it may be the biggest land grab after Colombus, according to media reports.
Up to 125 million acres of land — an area more than double the size of the UK — has been acquired in the last few years or is in the process of being negotiated by governments and wealthy investors working with state subsidies, say reports published in the Mail and the Guardian.Ethiopia is one of the hungriest countries in the world with more than more than 12 million people according of Food and Agriculture Organisation, are chronically or at least periodically food insecure, but paradoxically the government is offering at least 7.5 million acres of its most fertile land to rich countries and some of the world’s most wealthy individuals to export food for their own populations. Read the rest of this entry »
press agriculture, [Ethiopia] -
Transactions foncières : Les partenariats
Posted on 17 March, 2010 No comments
L’Observateur de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, juillet-décembre 2010“Cette double édition comprend, entre autres, un dossier spécial sur les transactions foncières, proposant une vue d’ensemble de ce phénomène en Afrique de l’Ouest (évolutions récentes, politiques foncières, etc.) tout en mettant l’accent sur les perceptions locales ainsi que les réponses régionales et internationales.”
English version: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/53/37/44800213.pdf
Version francaise: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/53/36/44800225.pdf
ILC in the media, press *Africa*, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Togo, [Benin], [Burkina Faso], [Cameroon], [Gambia], [Ghana], [Guinea], [Ivory Coast], [Liberia], [Mali], [Mauritania], [Nigeria], [Niger], [Senegal], [Sierra Leone] -
El Nuevo acaparamiento de tierras en América Latina
Posted on 17 March, 2010 No comments
GRAIN, marzo 2010“Las comunidades de todo el mundo —pero también de América Latina— están sufriendo una renovada invasión de sus tierras, que asume ahora un nuevo rostro. No son los terratenientes de antes, herederos de los invasores europeos que abrieron encomiendas, juntaron esclavos y explotaron los dominios coloniales. No son los grandes finqueros de los últimos dos siglos, que expandieron sus dominios a costa de los territorios de los pueblos indios para emprender negocios de exportación con monocultivos básicos como la caña de azúcar, el café, el cacao, el banano, el henequén, el chicle o la madera, y que dependían de los peones acasillados, en el sistema de “servidumbre por deuda” —literalmente presos de sus patrones. No son ya ésos que impusieron y expandieron por vez primera el sistema industrial agrícola, ni quienes saquearon los saberes ancestrales de la gente para irse adaptando a sus nuevos entornos y a desconocidas condiciones climáticas. Read the rest of this entry »
press *Africa*, *Asia*, *Gulf States*, *Latin America*, agrofuels, food production, food sovereignity, indigenous people, [Brazil], [Guyana] -
UPDATE: Select bibliography of press cuttings on biofuels, land rights in Africa & global land grabbing
Posted on 15 March, 2010 No commentsBy Robin Palmer
In this bibliography you will find selected press articles on biofuels, land rights in Africa and the global land grab compiled by Mokoro. The main section is dedicated to Africa, smaller sections cover the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.
Mokoro provides advisory, analytical, evaluation and training services to the international development sector. They specialise in undertaking consultancies to support sustainable social and economic development and resource management.
To download the complete bibliography: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/learning/landrights/downloads/select_bibliog_presscutts_biofuels_africanlandrights_global_land_grabbing_at_010310.pdf
miscellaneous agrofuels, land rights -
Too green to be true
Posted on 15 March, 2010 No comments
IOI Corporation in Ketapand District, West KalimatanFriends of the Earth, 15 March 2010
“This report demonstrates that despite extensive commitments to sustainability via corporate social responsibility policies and engagement in multi-stakeholder initiatives, the IOI Corporation is failing to live up to its green reputation. To put
into the spotlight what is really happening on the ground, Milieudefensie commissioned Aidenvironment to investigated a number of IOI’s oil palm plantations in the south of Ketapang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, where the company is expanding. Based on the findings of this study, Milieudefensie argues that policy-decision makers and buyers cannot rely on perceived sustainable
reputations when making decisions about the feasibility of green targets or purchasing agreements.Green Reputation
The IOI Corporation is one of the largest palm oil companies in the world. It is based in Malaysia and is now expanding into Indonesia. Apart from plantations and palm oil mills, the company also operates refineries and manufacturing facilities, among them installations in the Netherlands and North America. More recently, IOI has been put on the foreground by Neste Oil as a showcase supplier for biofuels production. Neste Oil plans to capture a big part of the biofuels market in Europe with palm oil- based NExBTL fuel. IOI is a co-founder of the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and has played an active role in shaping the scheme. The company has several of its estates in Malaysia certified as complying with the RSPO standard. IOI’s engagement in the RSPO and its corporate
case studies, research papers *EU*, agrofuels, conflict, CPL leading to land use change, deforestation, environmental degradation, food production, [Indonesia], [Malaysia], [Netherlands], [USA]
social responsibility (CSR) policies have earned it a green reputation among policy decision-makers, biofuel companies and food retailers. The question arises, to what extent are such perceptions founded on glossy public relations and to what extent are they founded on the realities on the ground? Read the rest of this entry » -
Amazonia ecuatoriana: proyecto petrolero amenaza la Reserva de Biosfera Sumaco
Posted on 15 March, 2010 No comments
Biodiversidad en América Latina y el Caribe, 15 marzo 2010“La mayor parte de la provincia de Napo en la Amazonía Ecuatoriana se ubica dentro de la Reserva de Biosfera del Sumaco, declarada por la UNESCO. La compañía canadiense Ivanhoe Energy obtuvo la concesión del proyecto hidrocarburífero del gobierno ecuatoriano.
Se proyecta para extraer entre 4.5 mil millones de barriles y 7 mil millones de barriles de petróleo de 30 o más pozos. El proyecto no ha sido suficientemente estudiado y se teme que tendrá graves impactos sociales y ambientales.
El gobierno ecuatoriano ha sido pionero en proponer al mundo un proyecto ejemplar como el de “dejar el crudo bajo el suelo”, en el Parque nacional Yasuní en la amazonía ecuatoriana. Este proyecto consiste en no extraer el petróleo que se encuentra en el Parque Nacional Yasuní, y obtener compensación económica de la comunidad internacional por el esfuerzo de conservación de la biodiversidad y los pueblos indígenas que habitan la zona. Read the rest of this entry »
press Amazon, environmental degradation, fores, indigenous people, mining, [Canada], [Ecuador] -
Is the African Land Grab Fact – Or Is Perhaps It Fiction?
Posted on 15 March, 2010 No comments
Taking a controversial line on the UN and media’s portrayal of the land grab situation in Africa - and pouring some light on the real issues at stake across the continent. Suggesting solutions to the posed problem, and not shying away from telling the truth!Shelter Offshore, 15 March 2010
“How about a bit of controversy for a Monday morning? At Shelter Offshore we’re not into controversy for controversy’s sake – however, where there is a myth being widely disseminated and accepted as fact by the world’s media, and we have evidence to support an argument against the general perception, we are not going to shy away from presenting it to you for your consideration.
Today we’re going to be looking at the perceived land grab that’s allegedly being made by large international corporations in countries in Africa, which has been the subject of much international news of late. In the humble opinion of our Africa correspondent, it can be no coincidence that the world’s media is focusing on this story at the same time as the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is in the process of developing guidelines for developing countries to help them manage their land resources. Read the rest of this entry »
press *Africa*, land rights, private sector
