Paul Redfern
9 November 2009
Nairobi — A new report by the United Nations has called for curbs on the way that large tracts of land across sub Saharan Africa are being bought up by countries in the Far East and the Gulf States.
The study "Land Grab or Development Opportunity? Agricultural Investments and Land Deals in Africa," looks at case studies in a number of African states including Kenya and Tanzania.
The report which is produced by a number of international bodies including the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation, has led to proposals by the UN and World Bank to produce a new code of conduct for land buyers in Africa which would insist on ensuring that consent comes from local people - and not just national governments - for any deal made.
The report says that land acquisitions are on the increase in Africa, raising the risk that poor people will be evicted or lose access to land, water and other resources.
Already it is estimated that land areas the size of Italy have been bought up by business people from emerging economies.
The study warns that such deals can bring many opportunities, but can also cause great harm if local people are excluded from decisions about allocating land and if their land rights are not protected.
The report highlights a number of misconceptions about what have been termed land grabs.
It found that land-based investment has been rising over the past five years.
But while foreign investment dominates, domestic investors are also playing a big role in land acquisitions.
Private sector deals are more common than government-to-government ones, though governments are using a range of tools to indirectly support private deals.
Concerns about food and energy security are key drivers, but other factors such as business opportunities, demand for agricultural commodities for industry and recipient country agency are also at play.
Although large scale land claims remain a small proportion of suitable land in any one country, contrary to widespread perceptions there is very little "empty" land as most remaining suitable land is already under use or claim, often by local people.
The report found that many countries do not have sufficient mechanisms to protect local rights and take account of local interests, livelihoods and welfare.
A lack of transparency and of checks and balances in contract negotiations can promote deals that do not maximise the public interest.
Insecure local land rights, inaccessible registration procedures, vaguely defined productive use requirements, legislative gaps and other factors too often undermine the position of local people.
It calls for carefully assessing local contexts, including existing land uses and claims; securing land rights for rural communities; involving local people in negotiations, and proceeding with land acquisition only after their free, prior and informed consent.
Co-authors Sonja Vermeulen and Lorenzo Cotula of IIED caution that land acquisitions vary greatly and that blanket statements about land-grabbing are highly misleading.
"Ultimately, whether international land deals seize opportunities and mitigate risks depends on their terms and conditions -- what business models are used, how costs and benefits are shared, and who decides on these issues and how," says Mr Cotula.
"This calls for proper regulation, skilful negotiation and public oversight." "In many countries, provisions for including local people in decision-making are usually absent or poorly implemented and this increases the risk of them losing access to land and other resources," adds Vermeulen.
The scale of land acquisitions has been exaggerated but in many countries the agreements that allow foreign ownership of land can be very problematic," she adds.
However Alex Wijeratna, an expert on the subject with the UK-based development agency Action Aid feels that the proposed code of conduct may not be enough.
"There's a new scramble for land in Africa and it's growing at an incredible rate. There's massive secrecy, poor communities can't get information and they're not being consulted.
"There's an argument for a moratorium on sales until there's a proper framework to assess them. We are concerned that an agreement will not come fast enough."Alexander Mueller, Head of the Environment and Natural Resources Department at FAO stresses the need to see foreign investment and large-scale land acquisitions in the context of global food security challenges.
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BY PEACE SHALL Many Be deceived (Daniel 8:25) .
Does The Term “ PEACEKEEPERS ” ring a bell ?
Ask the people in Rwanda (who survived that Peace-keeping) about the UN PEACEKEEPERS .
President Obama’s UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADOR SUSAN RICE cut her teeth on the RWANDA MASSACRE….OOOPs!!! She said.
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OBAMA DECEPTIONS
#1
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#2 Here is evidence of Point 2 of the Georgia Guidestones on Reproduction .
Don't be deceived :
[http://www.infowars.com/?p=7259]
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[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones ]
#3
BY PEACE SHALL Many Be deceived (Daniel 8:25) .
DOES THE TERM PEACEKEEPERS ring a Bell ?
Ask the people in Rwanda (who survived that Peace-keeping) about the
United Nations PEACEKEEPERS .
President Obama’s UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADOR SUSAN RICE cut her teeth on
the RWANDA MASSACRE…. OOOPs!!! She said.
(Here’s a Search Link To Many Witnesses To THE NEW U.N. RICE MONSTER)
[http://ixquick.com/do/metasearch.pl?query=Susan+Rice+Rwanda&cat=web&pl=ff& language=english]
FAMILIES LINE UP FOR MASONIC CHILD ID PROGRAM ! UNCLE BEAST WANTS YOU !!!
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In his piece entitled “ White Collar War Crimes, Black African Fall Guys,”
investigative journalist Keith Snow writes:
First note that the ICC can now be viewed as a tool of hegemonic U.S. foreign policy,
where the weapons deployed by the U.S. and its allies include the accusations of, and
indictments for, human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
To understand this, we can ask WHY NO WHITE MAN HAS YET BEEN CHARGED
with these or other offenses at the ICC (International Criminal Court) which now holds
five black African warlords and seeks to incarcerate and bring to trial another black man,
also an Arab, Omar Bashir.
Why hasn’t George W. Bush been indicted ? Or what about Donald Rumsfeld ?
Dick Cheney? Henry Kissinger? Ehud Olmert? Tony Blair?
The sad fact is that the International Criminal Court has become terribly
politicized, as has the entire international justice apparatus.
The ICC has issued indictments, for the first time in history, against a sitting head of
state. Meanwhile, according to Snow, an Israeli weapons dealer, also a reputed Mossad
operative, is revealed to be shipping weapons into Sudan with Pentagon support.
And Belgium changed its law rather than prosecute Ariel Sharon for war crimes.
The double standard cries out to us.
One country in the West, however, increasingly stands out as a place where
justice can be found?and that is Spain. With its landmark indictment of
Pinochet and its current consideration of Israeli war crimes in Lebanon and
U.S. torture in Guantanamo, we increasingly look to the Spanish Courts with
hope. It was the Spanish courts that returned indictments against Rwandan
soldiers for genocide even as the world coddles U.S. proxy Rwanda and its
leader, Paul Kagame.
[allthingscynthiamckinney.com]
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WAKE UP ! STAY UP MY BROTHERS & SISTERS !
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[http://www.infowars.com/infowars.asx]
[gcnlive.com]
- Life Is a Game. Have Fun. [ Luke 18:17 / Isaiah 11:6 ]
IS AFRICA FOR SALE ? 1) I’ve heard that one African country made a 99-year deal with an Asian country to lease a part of their land. 2) How can anyone make a deal for the next generation ? 3) What can we do about it ? 4) Organize and get those crooks out of office or any position of power.
5) Pray to God For insight and divine intervention.
6) Africa Is being targeted by many who are not respecting Africa.
7) We must stop selling ourselves and respect ourselves, our families and God.
Daniel 11:44 But NEWS OUT OF THE EAST (CHINA?) AND OUT OF THE NORTH ( RUSSIA ?) shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forward with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many Revelations 16:12 And the 6th angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water of it was dried up, that the way of the KINGS OF THE EAST might be prepared.
[Daniel 11:14 ]] And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south(AMERICA / BABYLON ): ALSO the ROBBERS OF OUR PEOPLE shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; BUT THEY SHALL FALL !
WAKE UP ! STAY UP MY BROTHERS & SISTERS !
[ www.libradio.net]
[gcnlive.com]
- Life Is a Game. Have Fun. [ Luke 18:17 / Isaiah 11:6 ]