I’m beginning to understand more about how land, especially through the practice of “land grabbing”, can be seen from a politically ecological perspective rather than a mere biophysical phenomenon. Asia has an incredibly low arable land per person ratio, the lowest of the major regions. With declining arable land and water resources, it’s no wonder China has been investing towards foreign farmland in Africa and South America. They are importing large amounts of “virtual soil” in order to feed their enormous population. Looking at China’s case through the lens of political ecology, it makes sense why they’d want to invest in foreign farmland.
Additionally, an article from The Guardian titled “US universities in Africa ‘land grab’” discusses how major American universities such as Harvard and Vanderbilt have been heavily investing in African farmland in partnerships with overseas hedge funds and speculators. London-based Emergent asset management runs one of Africa’s largest land acquisition funds and researchers at Oakland Institute believe Emergent clients have invested up to $500 million in fertile African land, with expectations of a 25% ROI. Emergent believes that they handle land investments responsibly, stating that “this is not landgrabbing” and that they “want to make land more valuable”. However, even though we’ve discussed China and the Middle-East’s involvement in grabbing land for the purpose of growing cheap food imports, Oakland Institute believe that “western funds are behind many of the biggest deals.
Some of the issues behind foreign entities investing in African farmland results in local farmers being evicted without due process. This practice of “villagisation” forces thousands of people off traditional lands to open doors for international business deals. This stems from the fact that local farmers have been living under customary land titles. What about food security? Foreign entities taking control of local farmlands strip local farmers of their ability to live off the land while hurting the poor who rely on these small-scale farmers for their livelihood. Plus, this introduces ecological problems, such as overusing water resources due to large scale agriculture. This concept of land grabbing from foreign institutions is damaging to the African environment in addition to the locals who depend on the farmland. Looking at this situation through a politically ecological lens helps me understand the rationale of these foreign entities and the powerful economic interests behind their decisions.
Vidal, John, and Claire Provost. “US Universities in Africa ‘Land Grab’.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 8 June 2011, www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jun/08/us-universities-africa-land-grab.