Land deals in Africa have led to a wild west – bring on the sheriff, says FAO

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/oct/29/land-deals-africa-wild-west-fao


True grit … FAO director general José Graziano da Silva wants major land acquisitions curbed to protect the poor. Photograph: Giorgio Cosulich/Getty Images

Amid warnings that land deals are undermining food security, the head of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has compared "land grabs" in Africa to the "wild west", saying a "sheriff" is needed to restore the rule of law.

José Graziano da Silva, the FAO's director general, conceded it was not possible to stop large investors buying land, but said deals in poor countries needed to be brought under control.

"I don't see that it's possible to stop it. They are private investors," said Graziano da Silva in a telephone interview. "We do not have the tools and instruments to stop big companies buying land. Land acquisitions are a reality. We can't wish them away, but we have to find a proper way of limiting them. It appears to be like the wild west and we need a sheriff and law in place."

Large land deals have accelerated since the surge in food prices in 2007-08, prompting companies and sovereign wealth funds to take steps to guarantee food supplies. But, four to five years on, in Africa only 10-15% of land is actually being developed, claimed Graziano da Silva. Some of these investments have involved the loss of jobs, as labour intensive farming is replaced by mechanised farming or some degree of loss of tenure rights.

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1. "Enclosure" goes global

It's the new colonialism. Locals will be denied access and forced off the land in the name of food sufficiency..