Land is an increasingly valuable resource because it is increasingly limited. This pushes state and private investment funds into large-scale land acquisitions that can become outright land grabs, as in the phenomenon of so-called land grabbing: “Land robbery” in developing countries-often carried out with the complicity of local governments-means snatching land from families and communities that have lived there for generations. These are violent usurpations, without notice, consent or even compensation.
It is essential that companies active in the food supply chain demand from their suppliers a binding commitment to the sustainable use of land by helping to prevent the plunder of natural resources and prevent their degradation. There should also be certainty that raw materials do not come from land obtained in violation of the rights of local communities. All of this has at least two positive effects on the economic aCtivity of food companies: maintaining the nutritional qualities of the soil to maintain the productivity of the land in the long run, and building a transparent and lasting relationship with local communities.
