By Klaus Schenk and Diet Simon
More than a billion people suffer hunger. Most of them live in Africa, where yet again a spectacular land-grab has begun. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is leasing almost a third of its area to South African investors for 99 years.
While the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations deplores that land in poor countries is increasingly becoming an object for speculation, the biggest land-grab on the continent, 10 million hectares, is imminent. 100,000 square kilometres is to be leased to Agri SA, South Africa's biggest farmers union. (That’s equivalent to nearly 44% of the area of Australia's southern state of Victoria.)
The DRC government says it intends to use the revenues from the lease to secure food for the population and to build infrastructure.
The South Africans say they intend to grow maize, sugar cane and soy beans and operate poultry and dairy farms, giving local people employment and training in modern farming.
Information to hand so far does not indicate any binding commitments in the contract, however.
Legally all uses of the land are open to the investors. It’s to be feared that no food crops for hungry people will be grown, but raw materials for the world market such as soy, palm oil, ethanol and wood chips for the international fodder, food and agrofuel industries.
The land is by no means empty of people or devoid of vegetation. The subsistence farmers eking their living from it will be displaced.
Hardly anyone possesses land documents or has been informed by the government about the handover.
The rain forest now on the land is in the way of the project and will be razed. The Congolese army is to protect the new landowners from threatening protests.
The South African style of farming shows what to expect in Congo. South African agriculture is dominated by large landowners.
The majority of South Africa's rural people have lost their traditional land rights, access to land and the foundations of their livelihood. Millions of former subsistence farmers and day labourers were pushed into the slum satellites of the South African cities.
The first 200,000 hectares has already been signed over (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8317186.stm). Agri SA reports great interest from South African farmers in the Congo land (http://www.sabcnews.com/portal/site/SABCNews/menuitem.5c4f8fe7ee929f602e...).
If this deal upsets you, send your protest to the Congolese president, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, asking him to stop it: https://www.regenwald.org/protestaktion.php?id=473
The letter states in part: "At the start of the year a similar intention plunged Madagascar into a grave crisis. When the population learned about a land deal between Daewoo and the government, violent protests erupted on the island that resulted in the overthrow of the president and his government. Since then the country is sinking in political and social chaos and the organs of state have largely lost control. Please stop the land project and seek alternatives for your government to advise and support farmers and do not give large parts of your country into foreign hands."
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