31 July 2011
NTS Perspectives (Issue No. 7 – Jul 2011) | The Challenges and Opportunities of Farmland Acquisition in Southeast Asia
Abstract
One of the lingering effects of the food price crisis of 2007-2008 is a surge in the acquisition of farmland in developing countries by wealthier, food-insecure nations and private investors, with the aim of producing crops for their own markets. These projects could lead to much-needed investment being injected into rural, agricultural areas. However, there are also potential negative consequences, such as the poor losing access to, and control over, land on which they depend. It is therefore crucial that these land deals and the environment within which they take place are structured in such a way that they minimise the threats to human security and optimise the benefits.
Abstract
One of the lingering effects of the food price crisis of 2007-2008 is a surge in the acquisition of farmland in developing countries by wealthier, food-insecure nations and private investors, with the aim of producing crops for their own markets. These projects could lead to much-needed investment being injected into rural, agricultural areas. However, there are also potential negative consequences, such as the poor losing access to, and control over, land on which they depend. It is therefore crucial that these land deals and the environment within which they take place are structured in such a way that they minimise the threats to human security and optimise the benefits.
