From what I’ve learned this week about soil, water, and land rights, the concept of land grabbing has stuck out the most to me. I’ve never heard of this term until this course, and I had no idea that this process was occurring. In the article from The Guardian titled “US Universities in Africa ‘land grab’” Vidal and Provost discuss major American universities purchasing vast amounts of African farmland with the promise of new jobs and food for the local residents, but with no intent of actually bringing those results. The article states, “No one should believe that these investors are there to feed starving Africans, create jobs or improve food security,” said Obang Metho of Solidarity Movement for New Ethiopia. “These agreements – many of which could be in place for 99 years – do not mean progress for local people and will not lead to food in their stomachs. These deals lead only to dollars in the pockets of corrupt leaders and foreign investors.” (Vidal and Provost). As Professor Liftin explains in this week’s lecture, the problems with these land grabs are that local farmers are evicted without due process, there’s no food security, there are detrimental ecological effects, especially water, and there’s little to no international oversight.
Through analyzing the issue of land grabbing, it becomes evident that land is more than just a biophysical phenomenon, but a political ecological construct. As discussed in the Guardian article, when it comes down to it, it’s all about money. Whichever organization, university, or country has the much money buys the land, and with that land they turn it into making more money for themselves. This negatively effects the local residents of said land, the environment, and the political climate between both parties. It helps to look at land grabbing though a political lens because it provides a deeper understanding of the complex problems that are at stake.