A short account of the background to a hugely energising conference on global land grabbing held at IDS, Sussex. Over 400 people wanted to write papers for the event, but there was space for only 120. Gives details of the wide scope of the conference, including green grabs.

Current land grabbing in Africa very worrying and carries strong echoes of era of Cecil Rhodes. Land deals being done in secret, myth of much vacant land, willing consent of many African leaders. Biofuels moving from miracle cure to a problem. Some positive experiences in Tanzania. Need for imaginative thinking and action.

An updated (and final) select bibliography of books, journal articles and TV, video and radio clips on biofuels, land rights in Africa and global land grabbing. Contains short summaries and contents details of 9 books, notes the explosion of journal articles, including special issues and the main themes emerging, and cites 86 TV and video clips and 35 radio clips, which offer an essential adjunct to the written words.

Includes academic stuff, working for Oxfam, in retirement with Mokoro, select bibliographies, among the obstacles to be overcome in confronting the global land grab – arrogance, the issue of farm size, the veil of silence, the numbers game, no level legal playing field, some final reflections.

Investigates the processes and impact of commercialisation of land in Malawi – specifically the acquisition of huge tracts of communal lands by foreign companies and local elites for sugarcane production in Nkhotakota and Chikwawa districts. The main finding was that ‘land grabbing’ for large-scale commercial agriculture in these two districts negatively affected the livelihoods of the poor communal farmers. The costs to the affected communities outweighed the benefits

Includes cultural contextualization on the use of land in Madagascar; legal framework: what rights’ protection for Malagasy peasants in the framework of land grabbing and the growing commercial pressure on land?; land, one resource, many drivers – energy, mining, forestry, pharmaceutical industry, tourism. Brings out the voices and testimonies of those directly involved including local communities who are victims of these land grabs in 5 regions – Ihorombe, Sofia, Alaotra Mangoro, Analanjirofo and Itasy and on the island of Nosy Be in the Diana region.

A community land titling initiative designed to protect community lands from land grabbing. Supported communities in Liberia, Mozambique and Uganda to follow their countries’ community land registration laws. Sought to understand what type and level of support was most effective. Concludes that community land documentation may be a more efficient method of land protection that individual and family titling, and should be prioritized in the short term.

Includes incidences of land grabbing in the region, land grabbing from the supply and demand sides, community resistance to land grabbing, what should be done on land grabbing, way forward.

Includes presentation of the conference; land grabbing: what is it? – old phenomenon, new appearance, scale and speed, the ‘everyone wins’ myth; testimonies and analyses by peasants and family farmers from different continents- Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe; conclusion – global land grabbing: some critical reflections by Jun Borras.

Includes views of land registration in Omahalya Village in the Omusati Region of Namibia, connection to the land, value of registration, protection from land grabbing and conflicts, investing in their land, women’s empowerment, the commonage. Concludes that the village is a promising example of the benefits of Communal Land rights registration. The villagers feel safer on their land, invest more, have fewer conflicts and more equitable inheritance.

Contains close scrutiny of chapter 11 (on land and property) of the Kenya Draft Constitution Bill; editorial on Kenya Land Alliance supports the campaign for the protection of forest lands; the new Minister of Lands and Settlements’ plans to modernise his Ministry (including a commitment to make public the Njonjo Land Commission report); the new Minister for Planning and National Development’s perception of land issues in Kenya (including a commitment to tax land held by speculators); a review of NARC’s (National Rainbow Coalition) agenda for success on land issues (including an end to land

Includes the grabbing of parastatal land, Agricultural Development Corporation farms, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Kenya Industrial Estates, Kenya Railways Corporation, National Social Security Fund, Kenya Food and Chemical Corporation Limited, State House and Military land.