Global land and water grabbing
▻http://www.pnas.org/content/110/3/892.full
The increase in global food demand as a result of population growth (1) and changes in diet (2) is enhancing the human pressure on the global land and freshwater resources. The increase in oil prices (3), the 2007 changes in the United States policy on bioethanol use (4), and the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive adopted by European Union (5) have increased the global demand for biofuel production, thereby further enhancing the need for land and water. As a result, some corporations and governments are investing in agricultural land as part of a long-term strategy for food and energy security (6, 7). The number of land-related deals has dramatically increased since 2005, reaching a peak in 2009 (8). In 2010 the World Bank estimated that about 45 million ha had been acquired since 2008; most of these land deals were for areas ranging between 10,000 and 200,000 ha (9). Moreover, several institutions [e.g., the World Bank (WB), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)] have reported that many deals were closed with limited consultation of the local population, without adequate compensation of the previous land users, and without seeking opportunities to create new jobs or enhance environment sustainability (9, 10).