This article was published by the International Land Coalition
América Latina, covering a new data base on global land purchase (http://americalatina.landcoalition.org/node/2874). The Land Matrix (http://landportal.info/landmatrix)
is a web site that contains information about the global phenomenon of land
acquisition on a large scale. It
offers different resources, like interactive maps, information on regional land
acquisition and even individual purchases.
One of the main objectives of the project is to show that this trend
continues around the world, although it peaked in 2009, and that it is not
merely a “bubble”. Another
important objective is to promote transparency and accountability in decision-making
around land issues. Since the year 2000,
most of the over 1,000 transactions related to agriculture have been
concentrated mainly in 11 countries in East Africa and Southeast Asia. At least half of the acquired land is already
in use, which means an increased competition between investors and small
producers. According to their research,
a lot of the land that is being purchased has high population densities, and are
not “vacant lands”. This may have short
and long-term effects on local and regional conflict, environmental degradation
and the sharpening of economic fluctuations.
This and more information can be found in their report, “Transnational Land Deals for
Agriculture in the Global South”. Main questions such as who is investing,
where and why are answered, visually and in written manner as well. The website also offers information on
partners and organizations, and many of them are women’s organizations, such as,
Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), Asian Rural Women’s
Coalition (ARWC), Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Gender Action and
many others. The International Land
Coalition is one of them, and in the issue of women’s access to land, they work
on three main issues: knowing your rights so you can exercise them (as
citizens, community members, and society members), deepening the knowledge about
rural women’s realities (including access to land, peasant economies, and
organizations working towards these goals), and recognizing women’s
contributions to society (campaigns and policy making).
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