Oxfam warns against 'land rush'

22 September 2011 Last updated at 08:33 GMT Among the worst affected by so-called land grabs are women, Oxfam says An increasing number of land deals are displacing farmers and leaving poor communities homeless, campaigning charity Oxfam has warned.

It says up to 227m hectares (560m acres) have been sold or leased worldwide since 2001.

Half of all deals that have been verified are in Africa, amounting to an area the size of Germany - 35m hectares, Oxfam says.

Vulnerable communities in Uganda and South Sudan have been affected.

The report also focuses on Honduras, Guatemala and Indonesia.

'Frenetic competition'

The organisation's Chief Executive, Barbara Stocking, said the "blinkered scramble" for land by investors was ignoring the needs of those who live on the land and depend upon it for their survival.

"Many of the world's poorest people are being left worse off by the unprecedented pace of land deals and the frenetic competition for land."

Oxfam says that among the worst affected by these so-called land grabs are women, who despite producing up to 80% of food in some poor countries, are often more vulnerable as they have weaker land rights.

"Investors, no matter how noble they pertain to be, cannot sweep aside the needs and rights of poor communities who depend on the land they profit from," she said.

The organisation said that land grabs had accelerated especially since 2008, when soaring prices highlighted the issue of food security.

It said an increasing demand for food, combined with climate change and the increase of agricultural land being used to grow biofuels, meant that the number of such deals would be likely to only rise in the future.

It called on the EU to scrap its target of obtaining 10% transport fuels from renewable sources by 2020 - which has fuelled the planting of crops for biofuels - and asked investors and governments to implement policies to ensure land deals are fair and those affected are properly consulted.

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Oxfam in Pakistan flooding plea

14 September 2011 Last updated at 17:37 GMT Some flood victims say they have been stranded for days without food Immediate relief must be provided to millions of people by floods in southern Pakistan or more lives will be lost, Oxfam has warned.

The international aid agency said it was launching an emergency aid response to help flood victims in the Sindh province.

It said that some 5.3m people were now affected by the floods, caused by days of torrential rains.

More than 200 people have already been killed by the floods, reports say.

The growing crisis is already being compared with last year's devastating floods.

Millions were displaced across the country and about 2,000 people died as torrential monsoon rains in 2010 caused rivers to burst their banks, washing away homes and property. Sindh was one of the worst affected regions.

'Slow repairs'

"There is an urgent need to provide immediate and life-saving relief to the millions affected," Neva Khan, Oxfam's country director in Pakistan, said on Tuesday.

"It hasn't stopped raining in Sindh for the last 10 days. Large swathes of land are underwater and people are desperately awaiting relief.

"They have lost their crops, homes and livestock for the second time - and been pushed from last year's disaster to this one."

Unicef's Dan Rohmann says two and half million children have been affected by the flooding

The agency - which is already providing drinking water and sanitation to thousands of people in the area - said the world community must act immediately because "the crisis is multiplying each passing day".

Zafar Qadir, the head of Pakistan's disaster management authority, told AFP news agency that 209 people had so far been killed.

In its appeal, Oxfam also warned that the government's slow repairs of river embankments and other defences damaged in last year's disaster had made the population more vulnerable this time.

On Monday, the UN said it had begun efforts to feed 500,000 people affected by the floods and rain, initially concentrating its efforts in Sindh's badly-hit Badin district.

The US has already send food aid. It is also promising tents, medicine and other non-food items.

China has pledged $4.7m (£3m) for urgent humanitarian assistance.

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