EXCERPTS FROM OXFAM PAPER:
"As food prices increase as a result of these multiple pressures, land is becoming a more lucrative asset for powerful interests and investors.
As the scale and pace of large-scale land acquisitions increases globally, evidence is mounting that the land rush is out of control and that the price being paid by affected communities is unacceptably high.
....however, all too often, todays land deals fail to deliver benefits for local individuals and communities.
A large-scale land acquisition can be defined as the acquisition of any tract of land larger than 200 hectares.
Land acquisitions become land grabs when
- they are not based on a thorough assessment of, or disregard, social, economic and environmental impacts...
- avoid transparent contracts with clear and binding commitments on employment and benefit-sharing;
- eschew ...independent oversight and meaningful participation.
Transparency is not an end in itself, but the secrecy that cloaks many land deals is one of the most disturbing characteristics of todays land rush phenomenon. It prevents local communities from knowing who is acquiring their land and for what purpose.
Too often, large-scale land acquisitions end up as land grabs in which affected local communities become victims of the deal, rather than partners in development
The global land rush shows no sign of abating. Indeed, it is predicted that commercial pressures on land will continue to mount as competition over resources intensifies
You couldn't be faulted if you thought they wrote this about Melancthon, but click and read for the details:
The purpose of use doesn't matter. It is a land rush and it's the inevitable grasp at a version of a standard- like gold and oil have been- to back running/leading/controlling the world from the point of view of economic growth. It's not about a quarry, preservation of farmland or water security and never was. The crime is perpetuating that point of view.
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