23 April 2010
by Asia Farmers Association, ROPPA, COPROFAM, ActionAid, International and International Land Coalition
An international dialogue process on large-scale international land acquisitions – or “land grabs” – has been initiated to amplify the voices of affected peoples who have been largely excluded from the discussions so far, and to widen the debate on how the international community should respond to this growing phenomenon.
These transactions have attracted significant attention since the food price crisis of 2007-08. While some agencies have begun discussing appropriate principles to govern such transactions, the discussion has so far not adequately included civil society organizations, farmers groups, and representatives of others likely to be affected, including indigenous people, forest dwellers, women, pastoralists, and fisherfolk.
To address this gap, a coalition of groups has come together to initiate a broad global dialogue that will have two stages: 1) bringing together those largely excluded groups for information-sharing and discussion of various possible responses; and 2) an inclusive and broadened dialogue with stakeholders involving multilateral and governmental organizations and the private sector. The intention of this dialogue is to enable a wider diversity of stakeholder groups to influence the nature of global responses to large-scale land acquisitions and to consider their alternatives.
Increasing large-scale investment in land, particularly in the agricultural sector, but also including other sectors such as mining, agrofuels, tourism, forestry and carbon sequestration, has provoked widespread reaction. The phenomenon raises fundamental questions concerning land rights, development and the right to food, with diverse views being held by different stakeholders.
Inter-governmental and governmental agencies have proposed principles for responsible land-based investments, while responses from producer organisations and social movements representing the populations most directly affected by such investments have ranged from urging caution to calling for an immediate end to such investments.
The initiators of the dialogue include three regional farmers’ organizations — Asia Farmers Association (AFA), Confederación de Organizaciones de Productores Familiares del MERCOSUR (COPROFAM) and Réseau des organisations paysannes et des producteurs agricoles de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (ROPPA; Network of Peasants’ & Agricultural Producers’ Organizations of West Africa) — one international NGO, ActionAid International (AAI), and one partnership of civil society and intergovernmental organisations, the International Land Coalition (ILC).
The initiating organisations believe that expanding the dialogue on large-scale land acquisitions and their alternatives is essential to ensure that debate on this phenomenon is informed and that action leads to improved livelihoods, food security and opportunities for rural land-users.
The initiators will expand into a Convening Committee during May 2010, with an aim to begin holding regional meetings, leading to a global dialogue meeting by the end of 2010.
Contacts:
AFA: Ms. Estrella Penunia, Secretary General (632) 436 4640 afa@asianfarmers.org
ROPPA: Mr. Ndiogou Fall, Président du Comité Exécutif roppa@roppa-ao.org
COPROFAM : Pedro Peretti, Secretario Adjunto COPROFAM (54) 341 5122000 l.soumoulou@coprofam.org
ActionAid International: Mr. Soren Ambrose, Development Finance Coordinator (254) 20 444 0440/4/9 Soren.Ambrose@actionaid.org
ILC: Dr. Madiodio Niasse, Director of the Secretariat, (39) 06 5459 2445 m.niasse@landcoalition.org
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