Ruées vers les terres ? Quelles complicités belges dans le nouveau Far West mondial ?

This study has five main parts. The first gives a global overview and emphasizes the indisputable reality of the large-scale land acquisitions. The second details the target countries and regions. It looks at the determinants of investment decisions and inquires whether investors really target marginal land. Thirdly, this study examines the investor countries, the investors and their characteristics. The fourth part focuses on learning more aboutt he drivers of the global increase in demand for land. Finally, the processes of large-scale land acquisitions are examined, including an assessment of compensation and potential benefits.

Bern/Montpellier/Hamburg / avril 2012 / 52 pages

This paper focuses on the renewed interest in purchasing or leasing land, and securing water rights for agricultural production; it does not focus on other forms of foreign investment in agriculture. In Sections 2 and 3, it identifies the key drivers behind the recent surge in these investments, and examines prevailing trends in reported land contracts. In Section 4, the range of legal issues. associated with these types of contracts, including in relation to domestic law, the international investment contracts and international investment agreements, is identified.

Winnipeg (Canada), May 2009 / 26 pages

This research finds that both food speculation and the financing of land grabs are issues with great significance for Europe. It appears that a broad list of EU-based private financial institutions – banks, pension funds and insurance companies – are involved in trading or marketing investment products based on agricultural commodity futures or other agricultural commodity derivatives and complex instruments. A significant number of financial institutions across Europe appear to also be involved in financing land grabs directly or indirectly.

Brussels (Belgium), January 2012 / 44 pages

C’est à l’aune des impacts négatifs qu’il faut formuler les conditions qui devraient s’imposer à ces investissements, afin qu’ils puissent véritablement avoir des effets bénéfiques. Sous la pression des sociétés civiles, certaines régulations ont déjà été formulées : les Nations Unies et les entités qui en dépendent sont à l’origine de la majeure partie de ces textes de référence en matière de droits de l’Homme et sociétés multinationales, de défense des droits des peuples autochtones, d’investissements responsables et de tenure des terres. Mais ces textes restent trop faibles car non contraignants.

Paris (France) / Juin 2012 / 40 pages