Roots and Possible Demise of Land Grabbing

PANGEA has prepared an informative report focused on the contentious issue of land grabbing. The aim of the report is to identify the true basis for land grabbing, and further, to illustrate through the provision of examples that it is not a solely a biofuels problem as recent publications might suggest. In reality, biofuels play a relatively small role in the occurrence of land grabs but that does not eliminate industry’s responsibility to avoid them.

The study investigated the current situation in three Sub-Saharan African countries and discovered that the majority of land grabs are to a large extent, the result of an inadequate land tenure system and weaknesses in the public law and institutional framework of the countries. The countries investigated are: Ethiopia, Mali and Sierra Leone. The findings common to the three case studies, are as follows:

• All three countries exhibited a lack of secure land rights – Even though the countries analysed do recognise land rights, the implementation, protection and enforcement of those rights was not always found to be in place.

• All three countries exhibited a lack of a functional and consistent institutional framework – The lack of a formal and uniform institutional framework, be it customary or legal, or a combination, results in unclear guidelines for carrying out, monitoring and enforcing land deals. There is no way to define and ensure accountability of parties, or to define and enforce safeguards to vulnerable populations and to ensure a proper level of compensation to displaced people.

• All three countries exhibited a lack of transparency in land deals – Lack of access to documentation and terms of deals renders public scrutiny impossible. Without a clear process of auditing and accountability conditional requirements are worthless.

• All three countries exhibited a lack of consistent community consultation  – Although some of the countries require community consultation, there is in many instances no evidence that those have been carried out.

• All three countries exhibited a lack of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and/or Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) – Even though EIAs and EISAs are statutorily required, research shows the requirement is not consistently enforced.

Following the discovery of weaknesses common to these three countries which contribute to the ease with which incidences of landgrabbing can occur, the report makes recommendations to various stakeholders involved in the land acquisition process.

Recommendations for Host Governments:

1. Strengthen the country’s tenure system by: carrying out comprehensive land use planning; strengthening land rights via land certification and registration; improving monitoring and enforcement of laws and investment requirements; ensuring transparency and public scrutiny of deals.
2. Ensure accountability – governments should be accountable to the people they represent. Good governance principles should not be ignored in land tenure systems. 

Recommendations for the Investors:

1. Understand local tenure system, including its weaknesses – there is no excuse for not understanding or ignoring local laws to increase its own benefit.
2. Conduct inclusive and extensive social and environmental assessments and follow its recommendations;
3. Sign up to recognised certification schemes to make sure product was produced sustainably and contributed to the development of local community;
4. If the costs of sustainable and fair production are not economically viable, then perhaps the project should not be carried out.

Recommendations for Host Communities and Civil Society:

1. Work with local groups to help inform, educate and support their claims to land and to make sure they have representation;
2. Create incentives for skill transfer – legal, representative – so locals can advocate on behalf of vulnerable communities;
3. It is necessary that local communities embrace their voice and capacity to influence land deals

To read the full report, please click here

Biofuels Digest said this about the new report: Into a fray largely defined by name-calling and panic-stirring, PANGEA has published a report that offers “a jug of cool spring water to a perplexed conclave,” as Churchill once described the debating gifts of Lord Birkenhead.

PANGEA’s report has been included in the list of research papers on the website of the International Land Coalition. To access the website, please click here.

World Biofuel Markets: Come join PANGEA at this year’s World Biofuels Markets, the largest biofuels conference in Europe. PANGEA is a supporting organization will have a booth and be speaking in one of the panel.

PANGEA members receive a 20% discount!

www.worldbiofuelsmarkets.com

A diverse consortium of industrial companies and NGOs formed by PANGEA, ePURE, IUCN, Neste Oil, , Riverstone Holdings LLC and Shell commissioned Ernst & Young to produce a report on Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC).

The consortium was brought together through the shared belief that a proactive, constructive policy response is needed to address EU concerns about ILUC associated with biofuels production. The report shows that risks associated with indirect land use change can be reduced by the introduction of incentives that encourage existing and additional sustainability practices in biofuels production, as well as other sectors that use agricultural commodities.

The policy option proposed by the consortium differs from the four ILUC mitigation measures currently under consideration by the European Commission in that it provides opportunities to combine incentives with the more punitive approaches.

ILUC mitigation practices identified by Ernst & Young include:

• the development of advanced generation biofuels,
• improvements of crop yields on existing agricultural land,
• the use of co-products for animal feed purposes, and
• crop production on abandoned lands.

“Investment in agriculture is key to creating lasting economic, social and environmental development in sub-Saharan Africa. Sustainable biofuels can increase farmer incomes, create jobs, increase access to energy for communities, decrease dependency on foreign petroleum imports, and combat climate change. Mitigating ILUC is a practical and sound way to drive real change on the ground and ensure that biofuels sustainably offer real benefits to developing countries.” - Meghan Sapp, Secretary General, PANGEA

Click here to read the full report

Click here for the European Commission’s DG Energy page on ILUC.

Energy is central to nearly every major challenge, and opportunity the world faces today. Be it jobs, security, climate change, food production or increasing incomes , access to sustainable energy for all is essential for strengthening economies, protecting ecosystems and achieving equity.

In fact, more than 1.4 billion people worldwide have no access to electricity, and 1 billion more only have intermittent access. Some 2.5 billion people – almost half of humanity – rely on traditional biomass for cooking and heating. 



United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made sustainable energy one of his five priorities that will guide his second 5-year term. Specifically, he will direct the United Nations to extend energy’s reach in order to combat endemic poverty. Universal access to energy, improved efficiency and enhanced deployment of renewable sources are ambitious goals, and the Secretary-General is leading a Sustainable Energy for All initiative to make them achievable. 



This initiative will call for private sector and national commitments and attract global attention to the importance of energy for development and poverty alleviation. The goal is to meet three objectives by 2030:

• Ensuring universal access to modern energy services.

• Doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency.

• Doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

In recognition of the importance of energy access for sustainable economic development and supporting achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations General Assembly has designated 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.

PANGEA is supporting the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All and will organize many events in Brussels in 2012 as part of this framework.

The Alliance will work in cooperation with other leading non-profit organizations, foundations, academic institutions, corporate leaders, governments, and UN agencies to help overcome the market barriers that currently impede the production, deployment, and use of clean cookstoves in the developing world.

PANGEA has been a GACC Champion since April 2011. For more information, please visit: www.cleancookstoves.org

SEI Report – Will African Consumers Buy Cleaner Fuels and Stoves? A Household Energy Economic Analysis Model for the Market Introduction of Bio-Ethanol Cooking Stoves in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Mozambique.

The findings of this study illustrate the respective roles of socio-economic and product-specific attributes as determinants of stove/fuel choice and permit estimation of the relative strengths of product-specific attributes in determining stove/fuel choice at the household level. Such information is crucial for stove producers, policy-makers and programme developers interested in targeting particular markets since it tells them not only which stove characteristics are important to the consumer, but also by how much the consumer values one stove attribute over another, or how trade-offs are made at the individual level.

This type of market information can be used to accurately target different market segments and design stoves that consumers will actually buy and use. The study argues that product-specific attributes are as important as socio-economic attributes to create a market for clean cooking stoves, and that future research should strike a balance between both types of attributes. In a near-term perspective, product-specific attributes are more important, as socio-economic attributes tend to change slowly, in line with longer-term patterns of economic growth and human development.

The study results demonstrate the insights that can be gained from detailed consumer choice analysis, and how these insights can support policy makers and cooking stove programme designers interested in evaluating markets for new stoves and cooking fuels.

To download the report, click here.

For more information on PCIA, please visit: www.pciaonline.org

AEF is the leading marketplace for Africa’s power, renewable energy and gas sectors. Participants are able to keep abreast of developments, meet the industry, examine the major challenges facing the sectors and discuss business opportunities with clients. In addition to government, the finance sector and advisers, the forum attracts participants from across the energy sector.

For more information, please visit: http://www.energynet.co.uk/AEF/AEF2011/index.html

The World Renewable Energy Congress (WREC) is an international scientific conference that provides an excellent opportunity for discussion and knowledge exchange for scientists, policy-makers, engineers and other specialists with an interest in issues related to renewable energy. WREC 2011 will take place in Linköping, Sweden during May 8-13, 2011. The Congress is hosted by Linköping University in close cooperation with the World Renewable Energy Congress/Network.

Based on the theme “Future Trends and Applications in Renewable Energy Technologies and Sustainable Development”, WREC 2011 will cover a wide range of topics related to renewable energy technology, energy efficiency, climate change and sustainable energy systems.

For more information, please visit: www.wrec2011.com

Join experts from around the world in Nairobi for Africa’s 1st Sugar Industry Conference.

• Enhance regional and international trade opportunities in light of changing trade policies
• Explore new business and investment opportunities in the Africa Sugar Market
• Hear from industry leaders on managing the impact of COMESA trade policy changes
• Update yourself on government intervention programs, supply and demand forecast and specifically Africa’s trade with the EU region
• Explore business opportunities with exporters, traders and importers from the African region, EU, Middle East and Brazil

For more information, please visit: http://www.africasugar.com/