International outcry against unjust land deals has resulted in the halting, cancellation or revision of certain investments.
The press has played an important role. Land grabs make good copy – due to the drama, suffering and injustice they all too often cause. The term is divisive, raising the hackles of the private sector, which slings back accusations of their own about alarmist, ideological NGOs who stand in the way of development and romanticize the peasantry. Trouble is, large-scale land deals – including the more well-meaning ones – continue to dispossess and displace smallholder farmers whose livelihoods depend entirely on agriculture.
