This report is being launched in the same year that over 400
organisations have come together behind a Global Call to Action
on Community and Indigenous Land Rights, drawing attention to
the massive gap between the area of land globally that is claimed
by the world’s indigenous peoples and local communities (65%)
and the proportion of these claims that are actually recognised
by governments (10%) – which means that the livelihoods of up to
2.5 billion women and men worldwide are rendered precarious.
This is land where the utmost caution must be exercised in
considering any form of large-scale land-based investment. The
authors of this report find that about one-third of agricultural
deals recorded in the Land Matrix involve land formerly used
by smallholder farmers. This gap in recognition, which is fuelling
large-scale dispossessions, is one of the key issues on which
urgent joint action is needed.
ILC is glad that the Land Matrix Initiative is becoming more
and more relevant as a data source for communities, activists,
indigenous peoples, researchers, governments and the private
sector alike to make informed decisions on global and local land
governance.
