Grootschalige landverwerving in Afrika

Abstract

Annelies Zoomers provides an update of the land grab debate (from 2009 up to the present) and shows that there are three urgent reasons to broaden and deepen the policy debate. Whereas in the media and policy circles much attention is given mainly to two policy solutions (i.e., protecting local rights on the one hand and stimu­lating responsible investments on the other), the author shows that this will not be sufficient for turning the tide: the speed and scale of the global land rush are highly underes­timated; lessons from history are neglected; current policies involve fighting the symptoms while leaving the underlying policies unchanged. Current policies related to food security, climate change and land grabbing are not consistent while moving in opposite directions.