Social and Environmental Dimension of Large-Scale Land Acquisitions Lesson, Part 1

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A downloadable version of this lesson is available here: 

The acquisition or leasing of large tracts of land in the Global South by investors—both foreign and domestic—has grown dramatically. Many of these transactions represent agricultural investments in land where crop and livestock production will occur and where there is sufficient water. Indeed, water availability is often a major driver of such land purchases. Most of the acquired land, however, is in low- and middle-income countries, where indigenous peoples often govern the land and water and view them as common property. Here, farms are small-scale, low-yield holdings where products go to local markets. Investors, on the other hand, seek to make profits by increasing crop production through large-scale commercial agriculture, focusing on commodities with high-export market value. Investors often make promises up front that their investments will benefit local communities and reduce poverty by bringing new technologies and jobs; however, these claims are highly contested. If investments fail, they can leave local people with degraded land and depleted water supplies, while also displacing them to marginal lands or forcing them to migrate long distances.  

Decisions over the use and sale of land at global scales, as well as their associated social and environmental impacts, are not easy to trace—transactions usually lack transparency. Thus, understanding the extent and impact of large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) requires detective-like research approaches in which quantitative and qualitative information together reveal patterns and stories. 

This lesson involves three sessions. In this first session (Part 1) learners will work in groups to gather numeric and textual data from an open-access database about LSLAs in two countries. In the second session, learners will report out their findings to the class by answering journalistic questions; next they will explore textual material and scholarly sources to enhance their understanding of LSLAs. The third session (Part 3) gives learners time to complete their exploration of textual documents, focusing on a particular angle of interest, such as, water rights; and ends with a homework assignment to develop a well-researched, evidence-based editorial suitable for an outlet such as The New York Times.  

This multi-part lesson would be further enhanced if it follows all or parts of the lessons “Introduction to Qualitative Methods for Sustainability: Narrative and Identity in Climate Beliefs" and "Governance Theory Part 1: Revising the Tragedy of the Commons."