Plantation assemblages and spaces of contested development in Sierra Leone and Cambodia
Much has been written on land deals, their impact and challenges of contestation in the Global South. Multiple studies show that communities are high-spirited as long as they oppose the actual conversion of their land. My findings illustrate, however, how companies, local authorities, communities, civil society and the government mitigate conflicts, re-shape resource governance, and negotiate terms of development in operating plantations and local-global dynamics thereof.
Respecter le consentement préalable, donné librement et en connaissance de cause en Mauritanie
Ce guide est le produit d’une formation qui s’est tenue à Boghé en Mauritanie, du 24 au 25 avril 2018 sur le CPLCC et sur le partage des outils développés par des partenaires locaux pour améliorer la gouvernance foncière locale du pays. Environ 50 participants ont assisté à la formation, notamment des représentants du gouvernement et des autorités locales, des organisations de producteurs et des coopératives de femmes.
Land governance and inclusive business in agriculture: advancing the debate
This report reviews the idea of inclusiveness in agricultural investments and analyses what ‘inclusiveness’ means to different value chain actors.
Assessing tenure risk in West African oil palm investments
Oil palm investments are returning from Southeast Asia to West Africa, where the crop originated. As this interest intensifies, land conflicts are likely to become more prevalent. Our research shows that such disputes can treble the cost of cultivation and cause year-long delays. Despite this, many companies do not mitigate tenure risk because they lack the data and tools necessary to understand their risk exposure and take action.
L’agro-business au village
La notion d’accaparement de terres est devenue courante dans l’étude d’un grand nombre de transformations agraires en cours dans les Suds. Elle souffre cependant d’un grand flou définitionnel et des difficultés à établir clairement le périmètre de son objet. À partir d’études de cas tirés du terrain ivoirien, cette contribution propose de redéfinir ce champ d’études afin de tenir compte à la fois de l’émergence d’un problème public qui est l’accaparement des terres et des transformations dans l’économie politique du capitalisme agraire que ce terme recouvre.
Community-Investor Negotiation Guide 1: Preparing in Advance for Potential Investors
Deciding whether or not to allow an investor to use community lands and natural resources is one of the most important decisions a community can make.
When negotiations are conducted fairly and inclusively, investments may result in the creation of jobs, provision of much-needed infrastructure such as schools, roads and clinics, and rental payments that have the potential to support the community’s long-term prosperity and wellbeing.
Harvard's billion-dollar farmland fiasco
One of the world's major buyers of farmland is under fire for their involvement in land conflicts, environmental destruction and risky investments. A new report by GRAIN and Rede Social de Justiça e Direitos Humano presents, for the first time, a comprehensive analysis of Harvard University's controversial investments in global farmland.
The report finds that:
What is the role of China as land grabber in Sub-Saharan Africa? Between reality and myth: a literature overview
China's presence in Africa has gained growing attention at an international level in the last two
decades, especially since the 2007 food crisis, however China's presence in Africa is far from new.
China can not been perceived as a new international actor, still its reemergence as a world's leading
economic power needs to be reconsidered. China's presence in Africa has been generating a
growing misunderstanding at a different level that Debora Brautigam clearly describes in her paper
What is the role of China as land grabber in Sub-Saharan Africa? Between reality and myth: a literature overview
China's presence in Africa has gained growing attention at an international level in the last two
decades, especially since the 2007 food crisis, however China's presence in Africa is far from new.
China can not been perceived as a new international actor, still its reemergence as a world's leading
economic power needs to be reconsidered. China's presence in Africa has been generating a
growing misunderstanding at a different level that Debora Brautigam clearly describes in her paper
Negotiating Contracts with Investors - Guide 2 For community members and advocates interacting with potential investors
This guide for legal advisors, community leaders and members builds on Guide 1 in this series. If a community decides to negotiate with a potential investor, this guide describes issues that can be included in a community–investor contract. It also explains what language should be avoided in the contract. It is designed to help communities negotiate a contract with an investor that is clear, fair, and equitable.
Vulnerable Groups Primer (Responsible Investment in Property and Land (RIPL) Guidebook Series)
This primer provides guidance for including and protecting vulnerable groups in the context of a land-based investment. It outlines the importance of identifying and engaging with vulnerable groups, who often have weak claims to land rights and are particularly susceptible to negative impacts from changes in land use. It provides
• an overview of who may qualify for inclusion in a vulnerable group and descriptions of specific vulnerable groups, and
• step-by-step guidance for governments, business, and communities..