Although «urban» and «rural» development are often considered as in opposition to each other and seen as competing with each other for investment and support, many urban centres owe much of their economic base to agriculture. Ironically, one of the best tests of whether rural development is working is whether local urban centres are booming - as increasing agricultural output is served by markets and producer services there, and as real increases in income for a wide range of rural households are reflected in increased demand for goods and services provided by urban-based enterprises.

Looking at several large-scale land deals in Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia, this extraordinary documentary highlights the nuanced impacts of these investments. Small-scale farmers and producers, national government officials, and African policy-makers unpack the deals, showing that there are winners and losers when providing investors access to large tracts of land in Africa. For example, land deals impact differently on women and youth, and altering land regimes also impacts on access to other natural resources such as water, fish, and local indigenous vegetables.

This presentation summarizes an on-going research in Myanmar, carried out by renowned agricultural specialist U San Thein and a team of experts, with the support of MRLG. This research is based on a thorough analysis of records on vacant, fallow and virgin land allotted for mainly agri-business projects between 1992 and 2016, and also an analysis of the reports of the Parliamentary Investigation Commission on land confiscation and the return of land. The study also included interview responses from key government staff in all concerned line ministries.

WEBSITE ABSTRACT: This case study presents a country-wide quantitative analysis of a Parliamentary Commission established in 2012 in Myanmar to examine ‘land grab’ cases considered and to propose solutions towards releasing the land to its original owners, in most cases smallholder farming families. The study analyses the information contained in four reports released to the public, but also aims to elicit information they do not reveal. First of all, the paper suggests the commission has failed to provide detailed information about land grabs by the military.

WEBSITE INTRODUCTION: This document presents the experiences of two investors, Stora Enso Laos and Outspan Bolovens Limited, who have invested in agribusiness plantations (eucalyptus and coffee respectively) in the south of Lao PDR. It discusses the lessons learned on four key topics related to responsible investment: (1) land acquisition, (2) compensation and benefit sharing, (3) community engagement, and (4) grievance mechanisms.

This conference paper examines how the ideology and programmatic set of policies coined in the term ‘neoliberal modernization’ applies to agriculture and practices in the Mekong region.

Les pays en développement d'Asie doivent faire face à l'année la plus difficile depuis la crise financière de 1997/1998. L'effondrement du commerce mondial suite à la crise économique globale a été lourd de conséquences pour les industries manufacturières de la région. Les ménages ruraux ont particulièrement souffert de ce recul en raison de la perte d'emplois hors du secteur agricole. Une action rapide des décideurs politiques de la région est nécessaire afin d'atténuer les conséquences de la crise, les incitations fiscales pouvant jouer un rôle important à cet égard.

Si les investissements étrangers directs (IED) dans les terres arables peuvent stimuler la croissance économique, ils peuvent aussi, le cas échéant, affecter de manière négative la situation des revenus et la sécurité alimentaire de la population locale. À la lumière de la culture de caoutchouc au Laos, l'article montre comment les concessions et la culture sous contrat peuvent conduire à l'accaparement de terres par les investisseurs étrangers.

WEBSITE INTRODUCTION: Across the Mekong region, ‘development’ has become synonymous with rapid economic growth, to be achieved through predominantly large-scale, private investments. The development model promoted by the region’s governments prioritizes trade and investment liberalization, and privatization. Private investment is sought in virtually every sector of the economy from energy, oil, minerals, agriculture and food processing to education, health, tourism, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, transportation and urban infrastructure.

This scoping study was commissioned to identify issues on land/forest related investment in Tanzania as part of a strategic engagement between Tanzania Natural Resource Forum (TNRF), HAKIARDHI/ LARRRI and the World Wide Fund for Nature – Coastal East Africa Initiative (WWF-CEAI).

Training volunteers to help their communities defend their land rights has proved an effective approach for promoting land justice in Tanzania. This report documents how Hakiardhi, a Dar-es-Salaam based research institute working on land governance issues, has established and trained a 600-strong network of male and female ‘Land Rights Monitors’ (LRMs) operating in 300 villages on various aspects of the land law, so they can help people and local governments to exercise and ensure respect for their legal rights in land disputes.

The purpose of this assignment was to establish whether there is appetite to hold a public debate on how to realise better land‐based investments in Tanzania. It also aimed at identifying what would be the discussion issues and most appropriate mechanism to allow different actors from different levels to articulate their perspectives on land‐based investments in Tanzania. This has been triggered by the sensitivity surrounding the topic.