Leaked World Bank Report Highlights Extent of Land Grab Problem

By: Danielle Nierenberg, Worldwatch Insitute, 8/3/10

Land rights advocates have been eagerly awaiting the World Bank’s report on large scale land acquisitions since December 2009. Delayed three times already, the report is supposed to be the most comprehensive analysis of land acquisitions to date, largely due to the Bank’s ability to access information unavailable to non-governmental organizations or farmers’ groups.

A draft of the report was leaked to the Financial Times (free registration required to view article), which quoted its summary, “Investors in farmland are targeting countries with weak laws, buying arable land on the cheap and failing to deliver on promises of jobs and investments.” While this may not be news to those who have been following the issue closely, the Bank has consistently suggested that these land deals could potentially be a “win-win” solution for both investors and developing countries (see: Is There a “Win-Win” Solution to Land Acquisitions?). The leaked draft of “The Global Land Rush: Can it yield sustainable and equitable benefits?” certainly calls this idea into question.

Click here to read the full article at Worldwatch.org

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