Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Mapping the Global Land Grab



Large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) can have a devastating impact on local communities. Across the world, particularly in the developing world, land which is used by smallholders and local communities is being bought up by large corporations for agricultural production, for the extraction of natural resources or for industrial development. These controversial land transfer deals often take place behind closed doors and with very little transparency.

The Land Matrix Initiative was established in 2009 in order to gather data on LSLAs and to help promote transparency and accountability in how LSLAs are carried out across the world. The Land Matrix website provides open access to this data, providing information on attempts to acquire land in low- and middle-income countries around the globe.

The Land Matrix interactive map plots the locations of LSLAs in countries across the world. The markers on this map are colored by default to show the implementation status of all the deals represented. You can also select to display the intention of the land deals represented by the markers (agricultural, mining, industrial etc). The Land Matrix data can also be explored using a searchable database and in an interactive graph.


If you are interested in the issue of land ownership then you might also be interested in Who Owns America and Who Owns England.

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