One of the major challenges in land use investments is in empowering affected people to make informed choices, exercise their rights and have their voices heard when dealing with the government or the private sector. Legal empowerment practitioners have supported people to secure their rights and influence decision making with approaches that range from providing legal information to supporting negotiations with companies, to using complaints procedures and court litigation.
Trends in Global Land Use Investment: Implications for Legal Empowerment takes stock of trends in land use investments and legal empowerment responses in low- and middle-income countries, with a view to informing next steps for legal empowerment agendas. Drawing on a review of the available literature and global datasets, it discusses evolving investment patterns, developments in investment frameworks, and implications for legal empowerment approaches. While recognising the important role of national actors in land use investments, the report focuses on foreign investment, particularly in agriculture, mining and petroleum. The analysis mainly considers developments between 2006 and 2016, and outlines current evolutions and possible ways forward.
This report is part of the International Institute for Environment and Development's (IIED) Land, Investment and Rights report series, which presents evidence around changing pressures on land, multiple investment models, applicable legal frameworks and ways for people to claim rights.