Lorenzo Cotula argues that ‘land grabbing’ – where large-scale land acquisitions for agrifood and biofuel investments which have been made in Africa, Asia and Latin America – goes straight to the heart of democracy and sustainable development.
Land acquisition or expropriations can enable governments to promise to transfer land to prospective investors before any consultation with local people; and investments are often driven primarily by economic growth, and generally not balanced with social impacts.
Lorenzo Cotula, October 2009
