Synopsis of the Paper:
"It is most fundamental to be able to hear voices of farmers as they are in resolving farm land
problems which pose the greatest challenge to Myanmar. Therefore, it is expected that the
"Voice From The Farm" paper will be supportive to a certain extent. This paper was compiled
based on cases that reached the office of 88 Generation Peace and Open Society from
respective region and reinforced with discussions resulting from the VOICE OF
FARMERprogramme which collects and organizes farmers' voices as well as with observations

Analysis of KHRG's field information gathered between January 2011 and November 2012 in seven geographic research areas in eastern Myanmar indicates that natural resource extraction and development projects undertaken or facilitated by civil and military State authorities, armed ethnic groups and private investors resulted in land confiscation and forced displacement, and were implemented without consulting, compensating or notifying project-affected communities.

Report assessed the financial relationships of 17 companies involved in land grabbing, human rights abuses or environmental pollution with 17 selected Swiss banks and institutional investors since January 2011. Financing categories include shares, bonds and loans. Countries involved include Cameroon, Liberia and Uganda.

Contains background to land administration in Ghana; Laudato Si and land grabbing – the Ghanaian context; unmasking land grab – case studies; empowering communities to address land grabbing in Africa – lessons from Ghana; policy considerations and recommendations.

An article and radio talk replete with photos concerning a story of land grabbing in the village of Ruasse, Zambezia, northern Mozambique by a Portuguese company, Quifel. By law, companies are supposed to negotiate with communities, but no company seems to be taking the law seriously. The case also cited in the Norfolk & Hanlon World Bank presentation of April 2012.

Includes context and importance of the problem; ILC global case studies; critique of policy options; policy recommendations.

Includes what’s up at the World Bank?, FAO: levelling off the playing field, key initiatives and actors promoting ‘responsible’ land grabbing, the corporates calling their own shots, weapons of mass deceit, food for thought.

Eight years after releasing its first report on land grabbing GRAIN publishes a new dataset documenting nearly 500 cases of land grabbing around the world. Includes what exactly does the data tell us?, despite many failed deals, the problem is real, the food security agenda is still a factor driving farmland deals, agribusiness expansion is the main objective, the financial sector is a big player,offshore and illicit finance underpin these deals, farmland grabs are also water grabs, cause for hope: resistance is growing.

Includes rising land acquisition in developing countries; threats and opportunities from large-scale land acquisitions; making a virtue of necessity: toward win-win policies; 5 tables of media reports on overseas land investments to secure food supplies, 2006-09.

Presents the experience of international development, wildlife and human rights practitioners, shared at a symposium on land grabbing and conservation in March. Land can be ‘grabbed’ for ‘green’ purposes, triggering conflicts that undermine potential synergies. Expanded state protected areas, land for carbon offset markets and REDD, and for private conservation projects all potentially conflict with community rights. Such conflict is counterproductive because secure customary and communal land tenure helps enable sustainable natural resource management by local communities.

Analyses inclusive land governance in Mozambique. Focuses on the country’s legal framework and the DUAT, the right to use and benefit from the land. The DUAT is a distinctive element of the Mozambican legislation that has land as the property of the state but recognises land use rights for occupants and users on the basis of a unitary system of tenure. The challenges of putting in practice what is thought to be one of Africa’s most progressive legal frameworks are discussed.

With all the focus on land grabbing and food security, water issues tend to be an afterthought. Foreign investments tend to be concentrated around the main African river basins. Water resources are lifelines for locals, so understanding the legal framework governing investments is critical. Covers how abundant are Africa’s water resources?; what does the evidence show?; the legal framework governing water rights and farmland investments; domestic law and contracts; international investment, freshwater, environmental and human rights law; recommendations.