Investments in land
The last decade has shown an increase in investments in large acreages of land in Africa, Latin America and Asia. These investments are often initiated by foreign investors who are seeking overseas opportunities for agricultural or mining projects. The foreign investors are either buying or leasing land, often through local subsidiaries.

From a perspective of local communities, the effects of foreign investments can be both positive and negative. Positive effects include higher tax income on a national level, an increase in local labour demand, and secondary investments being made in education and health care. However, negative effects of investments in land occur as well. Local communities can be deprived from their access to cultivable land, environmental issues occur, labour demand is absent or low and compensations payed to local communities for land can be absent or poor.

The Land Use Monitor: making local communities key since they are affected directly
The Land Use Monitor is aiming to categorise and map both the positive and negative effects of large scale land investments being made by foreign investors in developing countries. By “mapping” we actually mean: putting the investment on a (web-)map. We believe in the power of maps: a detailed map clearly indicates the impact of an investment on local communities.

With The Land Use Monitor we are informing local communities and local NGO’s on the actual investments being made by companies. On the other hand, we are informing companies on the impact their investments are having on local communities. With our maps, and the additional information, we want to inform all parties with an interest in land use and land deals.

With this website we want to help making investments profitable and sustainable not only for investors but also for local communities. Through this website we also want to make information on investments in land and its impacts on local communities available to the general public, political parties, lobbyists and journalists in the developing world and in the western world.

The Land Use Monitoring Initiative and participants
Anybody who is interested in using the information on this website can suggest to add specific land use cases to the map. We expect to gradually develop The Land Use Monitor to a widely known website with information on a broad range of land use cases.

In order to do so, we are depending on organisations who want to make information on land issues known to a wider public. Does your organisation want to participate in the further development of The Land Use Monitor? Then please have a look at the “Land Use Monitoring Initiative” page.

Tailor-made analysis and partners
The Land Use Monitor is not only offering information that is directly published on The Land Use Monitor. In close cooperation with our partners we are able to offer you tailor-made, land-use related, analysis options. For more information on the tailor-made analysis option please have a look here.