Land conflicts
Since the 2008 financial crisis, farmland has once again become highly sought after. Governments, corporations, and speculators are claiming vast tracts of land in Africa and South America for export-oriented industrial agriculture – often with tragic consequences for local communities and the environment.
Rising food prices in the wake of the financial crisis and heavy subsidies for biofuels since 2007 have made agricultural land in Southeast Asia, South America, and above all Africa, an attractive investment for international financial markets. In late 2011, twelve million people in East Africa were threatened by starvation. At the same time, however, foreign investors were growing vegetables in state-of-the-art greenhouses in Ethiopia for Saudi Arabia, as well as roses and green beans for the European market in Kenya. Worldwide, 203 million hectares are affected by such dubious land investments – an area the size of Brazil. Indigenous communities have been hit hard by these developments, as are tropical forests – roughly one quarter of all land grabs involve forested regions.
