Neo-colonial land grabs for food accelerate

By Clarity Staff Reporter on July 6th, 2009

Theft is a particular concept with certain legal dependencies. To be defined as a crime, technically at least, an act of theft requires the intent to permanently deprive an owner of possession of goods deemed rightfully theirs by another party and without their permission. However, if one reviews the disturbing trend of wealthy nations to acquire sovereign land of poorer countries for the growing of food for themselves, an area equivalent to half the size of all arable land in Europe in the last six months alone, theft seems awfully close to the definition of such acts. Rich countries, with either large proportions of non-arable territory such as Saudi Arabia, or other countries where their population’s food demand exceeds supply capacity such as South Korea, are buying land in poorer countries such as the Tanzania and Sudan to act as food lots. This land acquisition, as much as 700,000 hectares in a single transaction (although an 8 million hectare deal is allegedly under discussion in the Congo), denies the indigenous population the ability to use the land to grow food for their own needs, so adding to the poverty trap for the local inhabitants.

Further, the fact that these acquisitions are occurring in countries where control of such resources is often dominated by a central elite, not the broader populace, means the rewards of the transaction often only benefit a few, not the country as a whole. While theft may not be technically in play these transactions, it could be deemed to be a more appropriate use for the concept of multi-generational theft banded about by the right wing decriers of Obama’s economic policies. These land transactions are a case where the primary asset of emerging nations, land, is literally being torn away by a governing elite and sold to the highest international bidder. This will be a policy that will prove costly for the selling nations in the longer term, when the short term benefit of a one off currency reward have long been forgotten. It is of such a concern that it becoming an urgent conversation between the G8 countries and inside the United Nations

The UN’s food and agricultural organisation and other analysts estimate that about 20 million hectares – an area about half the size of all arable land in Europe – has been sold or negotiated for sale or lease in the last six months. About 10 million hectares were bought last year. The land grab is being blamed on wealthy countries and their food security concerns.

Some of the largest deals include South Korea’s acquisition of 700,000 hectares in Sudan, and Saudi Arabia’s purchase of 500,000 hectares in Tanzania.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo expects to shortly conclude an 8 million-hectare deal with a group of South African businesses.

India has lent money to 80 companies to buy 350,000 hectares in Africa. At least six countries are known to have bought large landholdings in Sudan, one of the least food-secure countries in the world.

Those targeted include not only fertile countries such as Brazil, Russia and Ukraine, but also poor countries such as Cameroon, Ethiopia, Madagascar and Zambia.