Land Grab Essay

Agricultural Investment, and the bunk for Food Security by Michael Kugelman and Susan L. Levenstein, has offered us deep, multi-positional insight presented by a host of authors with valid sources on one of the nearly interesting phenomenons happening within our current economic system.From the surface it seems to be talk of the town about how developed sustenance- secure nations are buying up swaths of farmlands from the worlds most solid food- insecure countries, but afterward(prenominal) a deeper look into the book, this phenomenon and its complexities is much greater than that. There are twelves chapters in this book, each chapter scripted by a different author or authors, getting into different aspects and perspectives of this so called Land Grabbing issue.The prototypic chapter (introduction) is written by Michael Kugelman, followed by some history by Derek Byerlee, an overview by David Hallam, social and economic mplications by Alexandra Spieldoch and Sophia Murphy, env ironmental impacts by Laura A. German, Wouter M. J. Achten, and Manuel R. Guariguata, investors perspectives by Gary R. Blumenthal, improving outcomes by Ruth Meinzen-Dick and Helen Markelova, regional perspectives on Africa, Asia, Latin America, aboriginal and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union by Chido Makunike, Raul Q. Montemayor, Bastiaan P. Reydon and Vitor B.Fernandes, Carl Atkin respectively, and finishes off with Recommendations and Conclusion by Michael Kugelman. The end point Land Grab used on the book cover and in its pages depicts a astronomic owerful external entity that acquire adult amounts of land that is usually used by local poor communities to produce food and/or provide other essential basic human needs. These communities are often displaced soon after because they are banned from the site in which they direct cultivated and lived off of. This term (Land Grab) is used kind of fittingly as Michael Kugelman and Susan L.Levensteins position on this m atter is quite critical and essentially cogitate on the inequalities and other adverse effects of this phenomenon. That being said, the book still does mention a a couple of(prenominal) xamples where there was a net positive outcome from these enormous land leasing transactions. The book in like manner accepts whats happening and takes on a very realistic way of approaching this issue. First, we must acknowledge the central causes. The first major event that nave made signifi washstandt impact on this global farmland market place was the food crises in 2007 and 2008.The global prices of food has spiked, riots have increased, and export bans have been created to keep the availability and the prices of food low within exporting nations. This created a huge problem for importing nations as their food warrantor as being undermined. The richer importing nations quickly started looking abroad to lease land for food security. These oversize scale land transactions, however, is not a new phenomenon, non-food commodities such as tea and rubber has been produced on leased land for a long time, but the amount of land being acquired by these large entities have never increased so dramatically in the past.Estimates of 203 gazillion hectares to 230 million hectares of land have been approved or is under negotiation from 2000-2010. That is roughly the size of Western Europe. With increases of urbanization (taking ver farmland), population, food consumption, bio-fuel consumption, droughts, and the temperature rebellion causing decreases in yields, it does not seem like this land grabbing trend will stop every time soon. Of course when talking about root causes, we cant omit the incentives for the host countries breach technology, more(prenominal) local employment, better farm yields, better infrastructure, and most of all, money in the hosts pockets.As a matter of fact, because of this money making opportunity, a split up of these nations are leasing with very high spirits regulations, tax incentives, tax holidays and other perks and benefits such as Pakistans 100,000 men security force to hold dear the leased land. So the premise is set, and since were currently embedded in this economic system, theres no running away from it, at least not for a long time coming. So what is the problem? That we have to take a closer look at these case studies. The case studies presented in the book are focused on the key regions of investments from a descending order Africa, South E.Asia, Latin America, Central/ Eastern Europe, and former Soviet Union. The key investors would include but is not limited to superior rich food importing nations such as the Arab States of the Persian Gulf, China, Japan, South Korea, and India, it also includes agricultural moving in firms from the West. The book also mentions that it isnt always the capital rich countries that are investing in these large swaths of lands, North Africa for example is investing in Sub-Sahar an Africa and Southeast Asian nations are investing in each others soils.Similar trends in these case studies show up repeatedly benefits to local communities are for the most part not materializing, many local communities have been displaced (Ex. A British look in Uganda displaced roughly 20,000 people), arge quantities of fresh water is being consumed, and deforestation is rapidly occurring (Ex. Sub-Saharan Africas ornament oil production have caused 100% deforestation rates). These trends should not be surprising as most of the host governments and investors are in the market purely for self interest and show little visualize to the impacts ot poor local communities and the environment.These adverse effects creates a problem of conflict between the people and the large entities in these land transactions. We can see these conflicts in Madagascar (South Koreas deal to buy 1. 3 million hectors of farmland sparked widespread rotests in 2009 to bring down the government), Uganda ( Indian corporate investment in Uganda farmland has sparked bowelless responses), and Kenya (Kenyans have vowed to fight congest violently after being evicted to accommodate a sugar plantation).It is no wonder now that Pakistan has offered 100,000 men security force to protect the leased land. And with this 100,000 men security force, we can also see extent of disregard for these poor local local communities. The book ends with a more optimistic perspective on this matter. It is very realistic as it provides ways to make these transactions better, and virtuously Just for veryone. It talked a little about the increase in transparency on this subject. It itself has brought light to the popular and continues to do so.But not only do the authors want to inform academics, policy makers, business people, and the planetary public, I believe that the authors of the book also hopes to encourage better provisions for hiring locals, selling the food back to local communities (a few case stu dies in Asia has shown that this trend has occurred and the benefits to local communities have actually materialized this gives us a little more hope for the future ahead of us), and protecting the environment.Hopefully the book will also have provided enough information to influence host countries to create more robust laws and regulations and offer to bridge over small holders (host countries are a lot more restrictive on small holders than big investors) so these local communities are not completely exploited (studies suggest that small holders are a lot more efficient, environmental friendly, and morally Just compared to big holders). The book also gives sheds a bit of light on alternatives such as drought resistant farming technology/methods (less reliant to farm abroad) and Asias plan to form of rice pools so less entities gets compromised.