Increased land-grabbing the world over is putting enormous pressure on natural resources in numerous countries of the South. Land near to water sources and offering easy access to markets is in greatest demand. Intelligent land-law policies and land reforms are essential, as are efforts to strengthen local institutions so that they can deal with land-law issues and related conflicts. This matter has to be tackled by the national governments of the affected countries. But development cooperation organisations also bear responsibility. They should ensure that existing legislation is applied and that investors be obliged to assess the impacts their planned projects will have on food supplies, the environment and also on the social and cultural situation in the given countries. 
 
Isolina Boto
Head - Brussels Office
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)
boto@cta.int