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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India: A Formula for More Land and Resource Grabbing: Dangers of the Green India Mission Forest Move
Posted on 26 July, 2010 No comments
Indigenous Portal, 26 July 2010Photo by Collin Key/Flickr
“As national platforms of forest dwellers’ movements and struggle organisations, we strongly oppose the “Green India Mission” recently announced by the Ministry of Environment and as part of the National Action Plan for Climate Change. This Mission, in its current form, will lead to increased land grabbing, violation of people’s rights, environmental destruction, and loss of common lands and livelihoods based on them, without in any way genuinely responding to the burning problem of climate change. Read the rest of this entry »
press (english), *Asia*, carbon trading, forests, indigenous people, land-use change, timber, [India] -
Scientists sound warning on forest carbon payment scheme
Posted on 23 July, 2010 No comments
mongabay.com, 22 July 2010Photo by wakx/flickr
“Scientists convening in Bali expressed a range of concerns over a proposed mechanism for mitigating climate change through forest conservation, but some remained hopeful the idea could deliver long-term protection to forests, ease the transition to a low-carbon economy, and generate benefits to forest-dependent people. Presenting at the annual Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, scientists and policy experts warned that the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) program outlined in international climate talks could fail to achieve the desired outcome of protecting forests, while having detrimental impacts on biodiversity and local livelihoods, if it isn’t properly designed or excludes critical safeguards. Read the rest of this entry »
press (english), *global*, carbon trading, climate change, food production, forests, land-use change, r.e.d.d., timber, [Papua New Guinea] -
Ghana: Farmers Demand Farmland From AngloGold
Posted on 07 September, 2009 No commentsAll Africa, 7 September 2009
“Accra — A group of farmers from Akatakyieso, Amamom and Anyankyirem, all farming communities near Obuasi in the Ashanti Region, are demanding that mining giant Anglogold Ashanti returns to them land acquired for mining purposes but now turned “into pasture for the company’s cattle.”In a press statement read for the “Concerned farmers” spokesperson Anthony Freeman Aikins noted that it is “illegal” for the company to have turned the land into a grazing field for cattle, while the “three communities that used to be the food basket of the Obuasi area now have to buy food from the Obuasi township.” To buttress his point, Mr. Aikins quoted a Greek proverb that says that “you take away my life if you take away the means by which I live.” Read the rest of this entry »
press (english), *Africa*, CPL affecting family farmers, indigenous people, Land acquisition for mining exploitation, land rights, land-use change, mining, [Ghana] -
Will foreign land deals benefit Africa?
Posted on 20 June, 2009 No commentsWill foreign land deals benefit Africa?
Daily Nation, by JOHN HARBESON, June 20 2009- There is a need for much more win-win strategic thinking in these agreements
“A new report really caught my eye recently. Issued by the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the report is entitled ‘‘Land Grab or Development Opportunity?: Agricultural Investment and International Land Deals in Africa.’’
Simply stated, the focus of the report is on moves by capital rich/agriculture and water poor countries to increase their food security, in a climate of rising food prices in international markets, by encouraging private sector investment in large blocs of fertile land in Africa presumed to be under-exploited. The study centred on five African countries: Ethiopia, Sudan, Mozambique, Madagascar and Mali.
From 2004 through the early months of 2009, the report documents just under 2.5 million hectares of agricultural land in these five countries claimed by foreign investors, the largest blocs being between 100 thousand hectares (Mali) and 150 thousand hectares ( Ethiopia). And where is this land? Read the rest of this entry »
press (english), *Africa*, agribusiness, food security, land rights, land-use change, [Angola], [Democratic Republic of Congo], [Ethiopia], [Kenya], [Madagascar], [Mali], [Mozambique], [Sudan], [Tanzania], [Uganda] -
The soils of war. The real agenda behind agricultural recontruction in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Posted on 31 March, 2009 No commentsThe soils of war. The real agenda behind agricultural recontruction in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Grain briefing, march 2009In this Briefing Grain analyses the US’s agricultural reconstruction in Afghanistan and Iraq. By means of some examples it is demonstrated that this reconstruction, is still not only far from giving food self-sufficiency (which for example was guaranteed to be re-established in Afghanistan by 2007) but also far too often ensures easy entrance to US agribusinnes’ and neoliberal policies. In addition to this it underlines with specific case histories how in these cases “aid from the outside often comes with a political or even military agenda that aims much more to refashion countries to satisfy powerful interests than actually rebuild the affected communities”. The Briefing concludes by warning that Iraq and Afghanistan aren’t the only cases in which military forces are managing reconstruction and aid programmes the aim of which is the fact that US military expenditure is 30 times that of development and diplomacy is proof of this point .
briefing notes, case studies, research papers (english), *Asia*, CPL affecting family farmers, CPL leading to land privatization, food security, Land acquisition for food production, Land acquisitions for agrofuel production, land-use change, privatization, [Afghanistan], [Iraq] -
Another Inconvenient Truth
Posted on 25 June, 2008 No commentsThis briefing paper argues that while Biofuels are presented in rich countries as a solution to two crises: the climate crisis and the oil crisis, they may not be a solution to either, and instead are contributing to the current food crisis through biofuel mandates and support measures in rich countries that are driving up food prices as they divert more and more food crops and agricultural land into fuel production.
Interesting sections on land use change and land rights can be found in pages 8-9 and 21.
briefing notes (english), *Africa*, *Asia*, *EU*, *Latin America*, agrofuels, climate change, food security, free trade agreements, land based conflicts, land rights, land-use change, right to food, [Brazil], [Indonesia], [Mexico], [Tanzania] -
Côte d’Ivoire: Biocarburants - 10 000 ha de Jatropha sortent de terre au centre
Posted on 18 June, 2008 No commentsCôte d’Ivoire: Biocarburants - 10 000 ha de Jatropha sortent de terre au centre
allAfrica, Moussa Touré, 18 Juin 2008
“Abidjan — Les initiatives se multiplient dans l’arrière-pays, à travers différents projets de culture de plantes, avec en prime le Jatropha, susceptibles d’assurer leur production.
Promouvoir la culture du jatropha curcas en Côte d’Ivoire, pour répondre aux besoins énergétiques que connaît le monde aujourd’hui: voilà défini l’objectif que vise le projet de développement de la jatrophaculture, en exécution dans le département de Dimbokro et la sous- préfecture de Taabo. Read the rest of this entry »
press (french), *Africa*, agrofuels, land-use change, [Ivory Coast] -
Biofuels, Agriculture, and Poverty Reduction
Posted on 26 June, 2007 No commentsThis report is a brief overview of the causes, trends, and probable effects of the growing Biofuels market on the developing world. Section 3.1 addresses the effect of growing demand for biofuel crops on land tenure.
briefing notes (english), agricultural land use, agrofuels, food security, land-use change, policies and laws, [Indonesia] -
Sustainable Bioenergy: A Framework for Decision Makers
Posted on 26 April, 2007 No commentsSustainable Bioenergy: A Framework for Decision Makers
UN-Energy, April 2007.
research papers (english), *Africa*, *Asia*, agribusiness, agricultural land use, agrofuels, climate change, food security, forests, land-use change, participatory agrofuel production, private sector, public sector, women, [India], [Mali], [Nepal], [Philippines], [Vietnam]
This report draws attention to key social, economic, and sustainability issues caused by the rapid boom in the bioenergy market with the intention of providing a frame work for decision makers debating bioenergy policies and investments. The majority of the report deals with the potential impacts of biofuel production. Though overall the report views Biofuels positively, many potential negative impacts are discussed. -
Sustainability Standards for Bioenergy
Posted on 25 November, 2006 No commentsSustainability Standards for Bioenergy
World Wide Fund for Nature Germany, November 2006.
research papers agrofuels, climate change, food security, land based conflicts, land-use change, policies and laws
This study was commissioned by the WWF Germany from the Institute for Applied Ecology to provide an overview of key ecological and social impacts of biofuel programs and develops a set of standards to ensure sustainability. Section 2.1 in Chapter 2 is concerned with land use, land availability, and land use conflicts. Though this document is tailored more toward the biofuel companies themselves, an appendix of relevant sources, studies, and standards on biofuel programs is included which may provide more valuable information.