Following the food price crisis in 2007-2008, a surge in large-scale land acquisitions have taken place around the globe. The total volume of land that is currently leased or acquired is still unclear, as many deals lack transparency. What is clear is that land deals will impact many developing countries, with unknown implications on the sustainable use of land and water resources.
SIWI’s research brings the ‘water perspective’ into the international discourse on land deals. The most common purpose of the recent land acquisitions is agricultural production, which means that land without enough water to grow crops has no value to investors. SIWI has been actively participating in the global discussion on the large-scale land acquisitions, particularly its connection to transboundary waters (e.g. the Nile), virtual water trading, water security and water rights.
Project Info
- Project team: Anders Jägerskog, Ana Cascão, Kyungmee Kim
- Partners: Nordic Africa Institute, Swedish Agricultural University, Uppsala University, Gothenburg University
- Timeline: 2011 – ongoing
- Links and resources: Jägerskog, A., Cascao, A., Hårsmar, M. and Kim. K., (2012), “Land Acquisitions: How Will They Impact Transboundary Waters?“. Report Nr. 30, SIWI, Stockholm.
