The land should feed the people first
The land should feed the people first
Source: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 05:00 AM
Author: Anne-Sophie Gindroz
In December 2012, Sombath Somphone was following his wife home for dinner in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, driving in a separate car. On Thadeua Road, he was pulled over by traffic police. That was the last time his wife or anyone else saw him.
While numerous foreign governments, global leaders, parliamentarians and civil society organisations have inquired about Sombaths whereaboutsto no availthe land rights of Laoss rural poor and indigenous communities that Sombath championed remain under the radar.
Large multinational corporations are swooping into Laos and other underdeveloped countries to acquire the landor the rights to the resources that the land holdsfrom the local, regional and national governments. In many countries, the lands potential has great value for large-scale agriculture or mining operations, for the timber in the rainforests that have grown there for hundreds of years, and governments are practically giving away this potential in the name of economic development.
In Laos, conservative estimates acknowledged by the national government place the amount of land in resource transactions at 1.1 million hectares at the end of 2012, more than the total amount of land allocated to growing Laoss largest agricultural commodity: rice. Unofficial estimates of concession lands, however, reach more than three times this amount.
More:
http://www.trust.org/item/20130912154401-6xc1d/?source=search