Global Impact Of Land Squeeze:
A recent study conducted by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) focusses on the unprecedented ‘land squeeze’, threatening farmers and food production.
- The report warns of prevalent “land squeeze” due to rising land prices, land grabs, and carbon schemes, threatening farmers and food production.
- Globally, the top 1% of the world’s largest farms now control 70% of the world’s farmland.
- As land becomes scarce, it can be converted from productive agricultural land to other uses, impacting food production
Between 2008-2022, there has been a doubling of global land prices. - This increase has been particularly pronounced in Central-Eastern Europe, where prices have tripled.
- “Green grabs,” land acquisitions are evidently motivated by environmental concerns, now account for approximately 20% of large-scale land deals.
- Green grabbing refers to the large-scale acquisition or control of land and resources for environmental purposes, often with negative social and economic consequences. It’s essentially land grabs done under the guise of environmental protection.
- Over half of the land designated by governments for carbon removal projects presents a potential risk of interference with the livelihoods of small-scale farmers and Indigenous people.
- Carbon offset markets are expected to quadruple in the next 7 years
