Online database and report on large-scale land deals launched

On the 26th of April in Washington, during the Land and Poverty Conference organised by the World Bank, the Land Matrix partnership - composed by the International Land Coalition, CDE, GIGA, GIZ and CIRAD – launched a new report and online database providing important insight into the complex, global phenomenon of large-scale land acquisitions. 

The online public database documented 1,006 deals since the year 2000 amounting to 70,217,083 ha of land which equals the size of half of Western Europe. It is accessible by http://www.landportal.info/landmatrix

Lack of transparency is a major hindrance to promoting accountability and improved decisions on land and investment. The Land Matrix is a significant step to opening up information and debate on this trend, as it encourages researchers, governments, citizens and companies to provide more data on land acquisitions. The innovative interface is designed for the public to crowdsource new information, and also improve the database's quality and reliability. 

The Land Matrix will periodically publish an analytical report, with the first one of the series focusing specifically on transnational agriculture deals in low and middle income countries in the Global South and Eastern Europe. 

The Land Matrix public interface has been developed by Tactical Technology Collective, an international NGO working to enable the effective use of information for progressive social change.

Earth Security Initiative launches Land Security Report

A new report released by the Earth Security Initiative puts the question of arable land at the center of a new security agenda. The risks to national economies, political stability and social cohesion, it argues, must now be acknowledged and dealt with. As the interest in farmland and commodities investments accelerates over the next decade, a new risk management agenda for investors and governments must focus on creating long-term value. 

The report shows the interdependence that soil resilience, human rights and access to water has on these risks, and why all three must be considered together within a single risk framework.

The report introduces an action agenda, which seeks to mobilize:

1. Investors to manage the long-term risks in their portfolios as opportunities to create value for people, land and water. The performance reviews of fund managers and their pre-investment due-diligence processes integrate these criteria.

2. Governments regulate land acquisitions according to these criteria, applying them to domestic and foreign investments alike. Transparency on these three trends enables civil society and investors to assess the long-term risks of nations.

3. The customary rights held by communities are fully recognized by investors and governments, ensuring communities to own their land assets, which is a condition for prosperity. 

Download the full report: 

"The Land Security Agenda: How Investor Risks in Farmland Create Opportunities for Sustainability"