Abstract
During 2008, the emergence of “land grabbing” (the purchase or long-term lease of vast tracts of land from mostly poor, developing countries by wealthier, food-insecure nations as well as private entities to produce food for export) has raised deep concern over food security and rural agricultural development. This paper investigates land grabbing within the context of the global food crisis and the ways in which foreign investment in developing country land markets impacts land reform agendas and other policies to promote food security. While many argue that the establishment of a conducive investment environment is necessary to stimulate agricultural production, there is a pressing need to study the implications of increased foreign private control over crucial food-producing lands. By critically analyzing the combination of factors motivating this trend and the potential effects of such investments on agricultural production, this chapter incites important discussion about the role of the private sector in promoting—or hindering—global food security.
Land is not just a resource to be exploited, but a crucial vehicle for the achievement of improved socioeconomic, biological, and physical environments.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 1999
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
IFPRI’s April 2009 publication, “Land grabbing by foreign investors in developing countries: risks and opportunities,” calls for a code of conduct both for foreign investors and the host countries in order to protect the interests of small farmers, as well as address environmental concerns on biodiversity and water and land resources stemming from the impact of large-scale farmland investments.
- 2.
According to the International Land Coalition (ILO).
- 3.
While the World Bank (IBRD and IDA) provides credit and non-lending assistance to governments, the IFC provides loans and equity financing, advice, and technical services to the private sector. The IFC is one of the fastest growing institutions in the World Bank Group and has many important investments to improve local private sector companies, but its projects have often been carried through at the expense of physical and economic displacement for thousands. Source: Bank Information Center (BIC).
- 4.
FIAS had its start as an IFC program, following a 1985 request from the Chinese government for advice on their foreign investment legislation. FIAS is now funded by IFC, MIGA, and the World Bank, as well as bilateral donor partners. It includes staff from each of the three WBG organizations.
- 5.
AGRA is already backed with a US$ 150 million start-up grant from the Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, and ex-secretary-general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, serves as its chairman.
- 6.
See compilation of sources from the Oakland Institute: “Voices from Africa,” an online clearinghouse to share information on and promote alternatives to the New Green Revolution in Africa: http://www.oaklandinstitute.org/voicesfromafrica.
References
ActionAid International (2008) Food, farmers, and fuel: balancing global grain and energy policies with sustainable land use. Report Nov 2008
Africa’s silver lining (December 17, 2008) FDI Magazine
Africa’s smallholder farmers to tap US$ 150 billion market (May 20–27, 2009) The African Executive
Bidwells (2007) The ‘bull run’ in soft commodities: commodity cycle or structural shift in food and farming? Bidwells Property Consultants, Cambridge, October 2007
Bryceson D (1999) African rural labour, income diversification and livelihood approaches: a long-term development perspective. Rev African Polit Economy 26(80):171–189
Buying farmland abroad: outsourcing’s third wave (May 23, 2009) The Economist
Cayon MT (May 7, 2009) Saudi businessmen wary of agrarian reform. Business Mirror
Coker M (September 10, 2008) UN Chief warns on buying farms. The Wall Street Journal
Cotula L et al. (2008) Fueling expansion: the biofuels boom and poor people’s access to land. FAO/IIED, Rome
Dogbevi EK (May 23, 2009) Any lessons for Ghana in India’s jatropha failure? Ghana Business News
FAO (2008) The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2008. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Rome
FAO (2009) Crop prospects and food situation. No. 2, April 2009. FAO. http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/ai480e/ai480e02.htm
Fraz Khan A (December 29, 2008) Corporate farming and food security. DAWN
Godoy J (April 20, 2009) The second scramble for Africa starts, Inter Press Service
GRAIN (July 2007) The New Scramble for Africa. Seedling
GRAIN (October 2008) Seized! The 2008 land grabbers for food and financial security
Haralambous S, Liversage H, Romano M (2009) The growing demand for land: risks and opportunities for smallholder farmers. Discussion Paper prepared for the Round Table organized during the Thirty-second session of IFAD’s Governing Council, Rome, 18–19 February 2009. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Husain I (May 9, 2009) Pakistan, the great land grab. DAWN
IAASTD (2008) International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development. Intergovernmental Plenary Session, Johannesburg, South Africa, April 2008
IFC, AGRA sign new deal to boost agricultural growth in Africa (February 13, 2009) Business Week
International Land Coalition (2008) Land and vulnerable people in a world of change. Commission on Sustainable Development Session 16, New York, May 5–16 2008
Kenya, Qatar land deal questioned (May 19, 2009) Capital Business (Nairobi)
Kerr S, Farhan B (May 11, 2008) UAE investors buy Pakistan farmland. Financial Times
Kilner D (January 13, 2009) Kenyans have concerns over land grab deal in times of hunger. VOANews.com
Kimbrell A (January 4, 2003) Bigger but not better. The Economist
Kovalyova S (April 19, 2009) UN agencies see “win-win” farmland deals. Reuters
Makunike C (January 16–23, 2008) Critical questions raised on AGRA. The African Executive
Mitchell D (2008) A note on rising food prices. Policy Research Working Paper 4682. Development Prospects Group, The World Bank, July
Montenegro M (April 27, 2009) Troubles in the delta. Seed Magazine
Montero D (December 22, 2008) Insecurity drives farm purchases abroad. Christian Science Monitor
Murphy S (2008) The Global food price crisis. Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), Minneapolis (Fact sheet Sept 2008)
Oxfam International (2008) Another inconvenient truth: how biofuel policies are deepening poverty and accelerating climate change. Oxfam Briefing Paper, June 2008
Padilla A (May 23, 2009) Genuine agrarian reform can help Philippines deal with crisis. Bulatlat
Pretty J, Hine R (2001) Reducing food poverty with sustainable agriculture. University of Essex, Center for Environment and Society, Colchester, February 2001
Qatar land deal not unique to Kenya (January 6, 2009) The Standard (Nairobi)
Rich countries launch great land grab to safeguard food supply (November 22, 2008) The Guardian
Rosset PM (1999) The multiple functions and benefits of small farm agriculture: in the context of global trade negotiations. Policy Brief No. 4 prepared for “Cultivating Our Futures,” the FAO/Netherlands Conference on the Multifunctional Character of Agriculture and Land, 12–17 September 1999, Maastricht, The Netherlands (reprinted 1999 in: Development 43(2):77–82)
Shiva V (1992) The violence of the green revolution. Zed Books, London
Sinopec to reportedly invest $ 5 billion in Indonesia biofuel project (January 22, 2008) Market Watch (Briefing)
South Korean investors to grow corn in Indonesian Islands (January 28, 2009) World-Grain.com
Sudan’s rural riches attract investors (May 17, 2009) AlJazeera
The World Bank response to the food crisis: loosening the conditionality grip? (September 24, 2008) European Network on Debt and Development
Vermeulen S, Cotula L (2009) Land grab or development opportunity. International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), London
wa Ngugi M (December 12, 2007) African food sovereignty or AGRA. Pambazuka News, 332
Zamora F (December 23, 2008) Global land grab causing alarm among NGOs. Reuters
Zigomo M (April 16, 2009) Malagasy farmers oppose land deals with foreigners. Reuters
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Daniel, S. (2011). Land Grabbing and Potential Implications for World Food Security. In: Behnassi, M., Shahid, S., D'Silva, J. (eds) Sustainable Agricultural Development. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0519-7_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0519-7_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-0518-0
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-0519-7
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)