Deep Dive: Land Grabs
And we’re off on another terminology dive! Words are so powerful and important in understanding how systems work. I also have to admit, I’m a big nerd and learning about terminology makes me really excited, so I can’t help but take you on these adventures with me!
If you’re involved in the food sovereignty movement, you may likely have heard of “land grabs.” Land grabs are a big part of this movement and generally refer to the process by which international groups gain power by taking land away from local small holders. This process can take form in a wide variety of ways, so formal definitions of land grabs can be hazy and include a lot of complicated political, economic and cultural contexts. Before we further define Land Grabs, let’s first start with the food sovereignty movement.
Food sovereignty is defined as the right of peoples – especially small rural farmers – to define their own agricultural and food systems. The food sovereignty movement demands that the policies and mechanisms involved in the production, distribution, and consumption of food focus on creating ecologically sustainable systems and healthy lives for people, rather than profits for corporations. The concept of food sovereignty was developed by Via Campesina in 1996 during the World Food Summit in 1996 and represents an alternative to neoliberal economic policies. Via Campesina is an international movement bringing together millions of peasants, small and medium size farmers, landless people, rural women and youth, indigenous people, migrants and agricultural workers from around the world. While “peasant” can carry negative connotations in US culture, it is the preferred term by individuals in Via Campesina, and will be used often in this article.
At the core of food sovereignty lies the ability of communities to access and control land on their own terms. Land is an essential part of cultural identity and agricultural autonomy, but in many areas of the world land is not officially “owned” by anyone. Instead, people have been on the land for centuries and generations and have cooperative, peaceful agreements about how to use the land sustainably and have sovereignty over their land and food. Land grabs are a direct attack on these sustainable and cooperative systems of cultural and agricultural life. When it comes to an official definition of “land grab”, we like this one from FIAN International:
While land grabs typically happen in poorer or developing countries, they can technically happen anywhere where ownership of land is not clearly defined by the local government, and can have drastic effects on human rights, sustainability and food sovereignty of local communities.
Some examples of land grabs:
Large purchases of land for monocropping of biofuel production in foreign countries
“Offsetting” of carbon emissions for corporations often means purchasing large swaths of land to “protect”—without considering those who live on it
Development of hydropower in rural areas
Infrastructure projects across indegenous lands
You can read more specific examples from the International Work Group on Indigenous Affairs here.
What determines if a purchase is considered a “land grab”?
Even with a clear definition of the term, identifying what could be considered a “land grab” can still be difficult, especially when corporations and governments try to conceal these actions. To identify and understand these transactions, it can be helpful to understand exactly what characteristics qualify a “land grab” versus a fair changing of hands of property.
This section is directly paraphrased from European Coordination Via Campesina. Read about their amazing work here.
Who can land grab?
Absolutely anyone can be a land grabber! Individuals, groups or companies; governmental or non-governmental; domestic or foreign; public or private. Land grabbing is not limited to certain groups or people.
Who has control?
Land grabbing is about overall control. Land grabbers can control areas in several ways including leasing land (sometimes through long-term leases from governments, called concessions), having tenant farmers or sharecroppers, or actually owning the land. Land can also be controlled through quota and supply contracts that force people to use the land in a specific way for the benefit of the land grabber.
Is it legal?
Land grabbing occurs both legally and illegally within current laws. Most land grabs are actually legal, meaning the deals obey both federal and local laws. However, these current laws do not protect against land grabs that prevent local community access to land. Infact, In most cases, the laws in place not only tolerate land grabbing, but promote it. These unjust laws encourage land grabbing and the abuse of human rights by allowing land grabbing to be a ‘legal’ action.
Why would governments want to have laws that allow land grabbing?
In many countries there are small peasant or indigenous communities living on land that they don’t technically “own” but rely on and have laid claim to over generations. If the government doesn’t want to protect the peasants right to the land, then they can sell the land for profit to land grabbers.
Does it have to be a lot of land?
In general, big is bad, but it’s hard to know how much is “too big.” Generally the amount has to do with local land parcels and size compared to an average land holding in a country.
How is it being used?
Land grabbers typically use land in harmful ways and for exclusive purposes. This is often seen as the most essential aspect of defining a land grab. Agricultural uses of land grabs include monocultures and harmful agricultural methods that don’t fit in the local agricultural landscape. Other uses include land commodification, and resource control and extraction—action in which local peoples do not benefit from their local resources. All of these uses of said land threaten food sovereignty, land stewardship and sovereignty, and human rights.
Okay but what does land grabbing have to do with sustainability?
“Land grabs” have significant human rights and environmental impacts. Increasing investment in agricultural land by global corporations and investors from wealthy developed nations in poorer, less developed countries result in inevitable shifts of power in local communities. Proponents of such land deals argue that they provide opportunities for improvements in agricultural practices, which will in turn create economic growth in the host countries. However, there is growing evidence that ‘land grabbing’ instead just displaces poor and vulnerable populations and damages the environment. “Improvements” in agricultural practices usually mean more technology that requires inputs that can be potentially detrimental to the host environment. This technology is usually expensive and, without assistance, can price small farmers out of production. It can also be extremely damaging in the long term in comparison to local practices that have been developed over centuries. These practices have been adopted due to their unique ability to interact with a specific environment and cater to not only the needs of the local people, but the needs of the land. This loss of agricultural independence or food sovereignty then exacerbates increases in poverty and decreases in food security—an essential part of sustainable development.
What can you do?
Supporting Via Campesina organizations around the globe can be one of the most impactful ways to support those doing community work on the ground. Via Campesina organizations exist in most countries and bring smallholders and peasant farmers together to organize against government and corporate forces.
We also recommend that you constantly question the way that corporations and nonprofits are operating in poor and developing countries. Many corporations may greenwash themselves by claiming carbon neutrality, while actually emitting lots of carbon but just buying up swaths of land in foreign countries. Additionally, be cautious of how nonprofits that work in agricultural development are promoting new technologies and agricultural resources. Many can be harmful for the environment, food security and the sovereignty of local groups.
Much of the politics and power behind land grabbing is out of our direct control, but through things like donations, the passing on of vital information, and lobbying, we can make a difference collectively.
Sources:
http://www.eurovia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/defining-land-grabs.pdf
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/transnational-environmental-law/article/land-grabbing-sustainable-development-and-human-rights/03793E858008583E95B419FD38DF4464
