A number of policy initiatives aimed at curbing land grabbing have had a series of unintended consequences.
The initiatives were introduced after growing concern over large land purchases by foreign investors in the Global South, but over-reporting and flawed analyses had important consequences for how the problem of land acquisitions has been understood.
A new themed issue by a group of international scholars, including DIIS researcher Rasmus Hundsbæk-Pedersen, finds that much of the suspected land grabbing never took place or was carried out in cooperation with state or local actors.
It also documents how agricultural investments can transform the relations between state, financial markets, and society. Initiatives designed to target the local contexts and needs are required.
Download briefet Land investments are too often considered to be land grabbing (PDF, 2 sider)
