Agricultural land acquisitions: a lens on Southeast Asia

Recent years have seen ‘land grabbing’ emerge as a big issue in media houses across the world, with reporters quick to write about deals involving millions of hectares, particularly within Africa. Yet large-scale land acquisitions are not a purely African phenomenon. Other parts of the world are also subject to the global land rush. This briefing looks at how Southeast Asia has become ever more appealing to investors from both within and beyond the region seeking to include agriculture in their portfolios. Set against a backdrop of insecure rights and weak land governance, land acquisitions here are posing significant threats to local livelihoods and environments alike.