{"id":107,"date":"2025-10-02T03:35:58","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T03:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/the-global-land-grab-as-modern-day-corporate-colonialism\/"},"modified":"2025-10-02T03:35:58","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T03:35:58","slug":"the-global-land-grab-as-modern-day-corporate-colonialism","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/articles\/the-global-land-grab-as-modern-day-corporate-colonialism\/","title":{"rendered":"The Global Land Grab As Modern Day Corporate Colonialism"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"middle content\">\n<div class=\"column left\" id=\"columnleft\">\n<div class=\"block-0\">\n<section class=\"block themeicon Expert opinion\">\n<article>\n<div class=\"icon\">\n<h3>Theme<\/h3>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/themes\/food-security\/\" title=\"Food Security\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"projectimage\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/var\/broker\/storage\/images\/themes\/food-security\/88516-134-eng-gb\/food-security_big_icon_theme.png\" alt=\"Food Security\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/themes\/food-security\/\" title=\"Food Security\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFood Security<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tExpert opinion<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<section class=\"block article summary\">\n<div class=\"headline\">\n<h3>Summary<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<article>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">The idea that there is a \u201cland grab\u201d taking place in developing nations began with the publication of a report,&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.grain.org\/article\/entries\/93-seized-the-2008-landgrab-for-food-and-financial-security\" target=\"_blank\">Seized!<\/a>, by the NGO Grain. This rang an alarm bell about large-scale land acquisitions.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"block article author\">\n<div class=\"headline\">\n<h3>About the author<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-content\">\n<div class=\"about-author\">\n<div class=\"tleft\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/var\/broker\/storage\/images\/authors\/zoomers-annelies\/143904-2-eng-gb\/zoomers-annelies_small_author.jpg\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"tright\">\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/authors\/zoomers-annelies\/\">Annelies Zoomers<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProfessor International Development Studies at the faculty of Human geography and Planning (University of Utrecht)\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/authors\/zoomers-annelies\/\">full profile<\/a>\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"about-author\">\n<div class=\"tleft\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/var\/broker\/storage\/images\/authors\/kaag-mayke\/760683-1-eng-gb\/kaag-mayke_small_author.jpg\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"tright\">\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/authors\/kaag-mayke\/\">Mayke Kaag<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMayke Kaag is senior researcher at the African Studies Centre (ASC) at Leiden University.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/authors\/kaag-mayke\/\">full profile<\/a>\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"block article author\">\n<div class=\"headline\">\n<h3>Tags<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"weight_7\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/display\/articles\/7290\/\">food security<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"weight_7\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/display\/articles\/6633\/\">land competition<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"weight_9\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\">land reform<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"weight_8\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/display\/articles\/7306\/\">land tenure<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"weight_4\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/display\/articles\/6355\/\">agriculture<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"block article author\">\n<div class=\"headline\">\n<h3>Related articles<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-content\">\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/articles\/untangling-the-myth-of-the-global-land-rush\/\">Untangling the myth of the global land rush<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"pubDate\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/authors\/zoomers-annelies\/\">Annelies Zoomers<\/a>, <a class=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/authors\/quak-evert-jan\/\">Evert-jan Quak<\/a>\t\t |<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tApril 01, 2025\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"icons\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/themes\/food-security\/\" title=\"Food Security\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/var\/broker\/storage\/images\/themes\/food-security\/88518-134-eng-gb\/food-security_tiny_icon.png\" alt=\"Food Security\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/themes\/global-development-strategies\/\" title=\"Global Development Strategies\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/var\/broker\/storage\/images\/themes\/global-development-strategies\/88488-146-eng-gb\/global-development-strategies_tiny_icon.png\" alt=\"Global Development Strategies\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/themes\/human-security\/\" title=\"Human Security\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/var\/broker\/storage\/images\/themes\/human-security\/88474-206-eng-gb\/human-security_tiny_icon.png\" alt=\"Human Security\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/themes\/inclusive-economy\/\" title=\"Inclusive Economy\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/var\/broker\/storage\/images\/themes\/inclusive-economy\/88460-128-eng-gb\/inclusive-economy_tiny_icon.png\" alt=\"Inclusive Economy\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/articles\/untangling-the-myth-of-the-global-land-rush\/\" class=\"more\">read more<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-content\">\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/articles\/the-seed-fuel-wars-of-africa\/\">The seed fuel wars of Africa<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"pubDate\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/authors\/betey-campion-benjamin\/\">Benjamin Betey Campion<\/a>, <a class=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/authors\/antwi-bediako-richmond\/\">Richmond Antwi-Bediako<\/a>\t\t |<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tNovember 05, 2025\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"icons\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/themes\/human-security\/\" title=\"Human Security\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/var\/broker\/storage\/images\/themes\/human-security\/88474-206-eng-gb\/human-security_tiny_icon.png\" alt=\"Human Security\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/themes\/inclusive-economy\/\" title=\"Inclusive Economy\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/var\/broker\/storage\/images\/themes\/inclusive-economy\/88460-128-eng-gb\/inclusive-economy_tiny_icon.png\" alt=\"Inclusive Economy\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/articles\/the-seed-fuel-wars-of-africa\/\" class=\"more\">read more<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-content\">\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/blogs\/a-new-agriculture-for-food-security\/the-myths-of-global-land-grabbing-untangled\/\">The myths of global land grabbing untangled<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"pubDate\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/authors\/quak-evert-jan\/\">Evert-jan&nbsp;Quak<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t&nbsp;|&nbsp;03 April 2011\n\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t<!-- body blog_post --><br \/>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/blogs\/a-new-agriculture-for-food-security\/the-myths-of-global-land-grabbing-untangled\/\" class=\"more\">read more<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-content\">\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/articles\/promised-land\/\">Promised land<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"pubDate\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/authors\/zhao-yongjun\/\">Yongjun Zhao<\/a>\t\t |<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tApril 07, 2025\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"icons\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/themes\/inclusive-economy\/\" title=\"Inclusive Economy\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/var\/broker\/storage\/images\/themes\/inclusive-economy\/88460-128-eng-gb\/inclusive-economy_tiny_icon.png\" alt=\"Inclusive Economy\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/themes\/social-change\/\" title=\"Social Change\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/var\/broker\/storage\/images\/themes\/social-change\/88481-63-eng-gb\/social-change_tiny_icon.png\" alt=\"Social Change\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/articles\/promised-land\/\" class=\"more\">read more<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-content\">\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/blogs\/towards-a-food-secure-world\/land-grabbing-through-a-food-security-lens\/\">Land grabbing through a food security lens<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"pubDate\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/authors\/pracucci-gloria\/\">Gloria &nbsp;Pracucci<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t&nbsp;|&nbsp;18 February 2013\n\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t<!-- body blog_post --><br \/>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/blogs\/towards-a-food-secure-world\/land-grabbing-through-a-food-security-lens\/\" class=\"more\">read more<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<section class=\"content column wide left article content view\" id=\"content\">\n<div class=\"edit image\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/var\/broker\/storage\/images\/articles\/the-global-land-grab-as-modern-day-corporate-colonialism\/768902-2-eng-gb\/the-global-land-grab-as-modern-day-corporate-colonialism_full_view.jpg\" alt=\"'Ok, let\u2019s find some land' \/ mob mob, CC BY-NC\">\n\t<\/div>\n<article class=\"fader  Expert opinion\">\n<header class=\"contents\">\n<div class=\"share\">\n\t\t\t<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n    var addthis_config = {\n        ui_language = 'en'\n    }\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"addthis sharing\">\n\t<!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --><\/p>\n<div class=\"addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style\" addthis:title=\"The global land grab as modern day corporate colonialism\">\n\t<a class=\"addthis_button_twitter\" tw:via=\"thebrokeronline\"><\/a><br \/>\n\t<a class=\"addthis_button_facebook\"><\/a><br \/>\n\t<a class=\"addthis_button_pinterest_share\"><\/a><br \/>\n\t<a class=\"addthis_button_preferred_4\"><\/a><br \/>\n\t<a class=\"addthis_button_compact\"><\/a><br \/>\n\t<a class=\"addthis_counter addthis_bubble_style\"><\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<p>\t<script type=\"text\/javascript\">var addthis_config = data_track_addressbar;<\/script><br \/>\n\t<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/js\/300\/addthis_widget.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n\t<!-- AddThis Button END -->\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"addthis article_options\">\n                <a title=\"Export article to PDF\" class=\"pdf\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/extension\/broker\/design\/broker\/images\/pdficon.png\" alt=\"pdf\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe global land grab as modern day corporate colonialism<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/authors\/zoomers-annelies\/\">Annelies&nbsp;Zoomers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/authors\/kaag-mayke\/\">Mayke&nbsp;Kaag<\/a>\t\t|<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJuly 24, 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/header>\n<div class=\"intro contents\">\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">The idea that there is a \u201cland grab\u201d taking place in developing nations began with the publication of a report,<a href=\"http:\/\/www.grain.org\/article\/entries\/93-seized-the-2008-landgrab-for-food-and-financial-security\" target=\"_blank\">Seized!<\/a>, by the NGO Grain. This rang an alarm bell about large-scale land acquisitions \u2013 particularly by a number of Asian countries and Gulf States, which are&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/sites\/default\/files\/publications\/bp013all.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">acquiring millions of hectares<\/a>&nbsp;of fertile agricultural land, predominantly in Africa.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"body contents\">\n\t\t<!-- body --><\/p>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">Corporations and states including the US, European nations, and the rising \u201cBRIC\u201d economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China are all involved in this&nbsp;voracious purchasing of land. And despite the huge differences in the countries and localities where the land is purchased, the outcome is surprisingly similar: millions of hectares of farmland, as well as forests and peatlands, have been rapidly converted into huge mono-cropped plantations of soy, oil palm, and other cash crops.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">This process particularly hits pastoralists, smallholders and vulnerable landless groups. What is striking is that in most cases land grabbing takes place with full support of governments which are happy to swap land for foreign direct investment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">As a rule, insufficient consideration is given to the livelihoods, rights and needs of local people. Land sold to investors is often taken away from locals who are not even informed, and are often&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/intercontinentalcry.org\/ethiopias-land-grabs-stories-displaced-20830\/\" target=\"_blank\">forcefully removed<\/a>. To the extent that investments generate benefits such as employment, those from the land are usually bypassed in favour of workers from elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">The global land grab is a phenomenon against which those whose land is being grabbed seem defenceless. It is an area in which multilateral organisations, such as the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbank.org\/en\/region\/afr\/publication\/securing-africas-land-for-shared-prosperity\" target=\"_blank\">World Bank<\/a>, as well as civil-society organisations and NGOs have become increasingly vocal, and which has attracted greater academic interest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">Most early research focused on explaining the land grab narrative in terms of hectares and numbers of people affected, in an effort to uncover global trends and examine case studies. In&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.zedbooks.co.uk\/paperback\/the-global-land-grab\" target=\"_blank\">our research<\/a>, we have adopted instead an in-depth and comparative approach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">By examining Africa, Latin America and Asia country by country, a number of interesting themes emerge: urban land grabbing in Kenya, Ethiopia\u2019s new agricultural investment policy, genetically modified soy cultivation in Argentina,&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/dspace.library.uu.nl\/handle\/1874\/257921\" target=\"_blank\">residential tourism<\/a>&nbsp;in Costa Rica, water grabbing in Peru and Ecuador, new land conversions in Vietnam, and the Gulf States&#8217; investments in Indonesia and the Philippines. There are differences and similarities, local variations and more general trends. But it is clear that this global land grab really exists, and that it\u2019s impact cannot be expressed in hectares and statistics alone.<a name=\"eztoc768901_0_1\" id=\"eztoc768901_0_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>An all too-easy purchase<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">What is striking is that it has not been merely the demand for&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-africa-15013396\" target=\"_blank\">food<\/a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;biofuels&nbsp;that has led to this land rush. In fact, a whole set of earlier policies has paved the way. Large-scale land acquisition started to take place as a number of conditions simultaneously fell into place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">Huge tracts of land, under-exploited due to poor agricultural policy or decades of neglect, was made available. Foreign state aid donors emphasised the need to attract foreign investment. Land laws were modernised to make buying, selling and leasing land easier in many countries. And in many cases, institutional weaknesses or outright corruption eased through deals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">National governments were supposed to decentralise, stepping back in favour of local governments and opening up to market forces. However, local governments have often not been strong enough to deal with foreign investors, while in other cases they are merely extensions or appointees of the same political elites that run national governments, rather than genuinely representing local interests. The global land grab is not the consequence of ad hoc crises; it is the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/ge\/10_zoomers.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">logical outcome<\/a>&nbsp;from the policies and political environment laid down before it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">So while what is happening today is to a large extent a historical continuation, it is also very different from the events of the past. In countries such as Argentina or Costa Rica, land acquisition and \u201cforeignisation\u201d has taken place for decades, if not centuries. For example, the major&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/working_papers\/papers\/06-0115.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">US fruit growers&#8217;<\/a>&nbsp;acquisition of land throughout Central America during the early and mid-20th century. In Kenya, the current land grab echoes its clear precedent under&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kenyarep-jp.com\/kenya\/history_e.html\" target=\"_blank\">colonisation<\/a>&nbsp;by the British. Processes are rarely transparent \u2013 not in developing countries praised for \u201cgood governance\u201d, and not even in cases of Western companies that boast of their \u201ccorporate social responsibility\u201d.<a name=\"eztoc768901_0_2\" id=\"eztoc768901_0_2\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Restoring the balance<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">The global land grab has implications for transnational connections and power relations: it reshapes the geopolitical order, yet is equally a manifestation of a world order that has changed as economic power swings toward China, India, and developing economies. Much attention is paid to improving rules or regulations through land titling programmes, implementing the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fao.org\/nr\/tenure\/voluntary-Guidelines\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\">FAO voluntary guidelines<\/a>, codes of conduct and other institutional solutions. However, the problem is often not so much regulations as the failure to implement them or a lack of practical control.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">As&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.zedbooks.co.uk\/paperback\/the-global-land-grab\" target=\"_blank\">we have argued<\/a>, a framework of accountability for large-scale land acquisitions must not only be limited to private companies, nor to governments or public bodies. To be effective it must be constructed as an integrated system of checks and balances that stretches from international trading regulations through national laws to local enactments, to ensure that all the main players of the game are playing under the same rules.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">________________<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Conversation\" height=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/content\/25844\/count.gif\" width=\"1\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"yunu3cvqabft7vifv\">\n\t\t\tThis article was originally published on <a href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\/\">The Conversation<\/a>.<br \/>\nRead the <a href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\/the-global-land-grab-as-modern-day-corporate-colonialism-25844\">original article<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"credit\">\n\t\t\tPhoto credit main picture:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#8216;Ok, let\u2019s find some land&#8217; \/ mob mob, CC BY-NC\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<!-- body --><br \/>\n\t\t<!-- footnotes --><br \/>\n\t\t<!-- footnotes -->\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<section class=\"commentform content column wide left\">\n<div class=\"disqus_content\">\n\t\t<a name=\"comments\" id=\"comments\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"disqus_thread\"><\/div>\n<p>        <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n            \/* * * CONFIGURATION VARIABLES: EDIT BEFORE PASTING INTO YOUR WEBPAGE * * *\/\n            var disqus_shortname = 'broker'; \/\/ required: replace example with your forum shortname\n            var disqus_identifier = '14997';\n            \/* * * DON'T EDIT BELOW THIS LINE * * *\/\n\t\t\tfunction trackComment(comment)\n            {\n                console.log(comment);\n            }\n\t\t\tfunction disqus_config() {\n                this.callbacks.onNewComment = [function() { \n                console.log(comment);\n                }];\n            }\n\t\t\t(function() {\n                var dsq = document.createElement('script'); dsq.type = 'text\/javascript'; dsq.async = true;\n                dsq.src = '\/\/' + disqus_shortname + 'https:\/\/www.thebrokeronline.eu\/files\/articles\/.disqus.com\/embed.js';\n                (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(dsq);\n            })();\n        <\/script><br \/>\n        <!--\n        <noscript>Please enable JavaScript to view the <a href=\"http:\/\/disqus.com\/?ref_noscript\">comments powered by Disqus.<\/a><\/noscript>\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/disqus.com\" class=\"dsq-brlink\">comments powered by <span class=\"logo-disqus\">Disqus<\/span><\/a>\n        -->\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false,"raw":""},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Theme Food Security Expert opinion Summary The idea that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template_3.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-107","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The global land grab as modern day corporate colonialism \/ Articles - The Broker<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The idea that there is a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153land grab\u00e2\u20ac\u009d taking place in developing nations began with the publication of a report,&amp;nbsp;Seized!, by the NGO Grain. 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