The insidious practice of ‘land grabbing’ is becoming a widespread phenomenon in Africa and Asia, creating a perilous future for local people as private companies explore new ways to make profit.
For example, in Cambodia, since 2005 15% of the landmass has been signed over to private companies, a third of which are foreign. Many of the deals are shrouded in secrecy, so the scale of what is happening and who benefits is not clear; but what is apparent is that people are becoming increasingly marginalised as their land (which many cannot prove tenure of) is appropriated by government officials ...
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