Landgrabbing Seen Through the Matrix: Comparative analysis of Land Grabbing databases and the Politics of Data

This paper provides a theoretical contribution to analysing land acquisitions deals by focusing on the implications of different data collections: at first, the objective will be to offer a methodological account of how land grabs are mapped, taking into account different matrix and data-set. What criteria are being applied? What is the coverage? With what degree of accuracy and transparency? Who is responsible for producing this knowledge? What are the tools used to contribute to this global picture? The analysis of mapping systems can provide analytical clarity on the phenomenon of land grabbing, which, since 2008, has been described as a “rush” and studied as such within academic literature. This surge has been triggered by the convergence of the energy, food, and financial crises. Land grabbing is a complex phenomenon, whose very definition remains contested and debated. This thesis seeks to examine what Carlos Oya has dismissively referred to as “grey literature” — a participatory body of work produced by large NGOs, activist networks, and intergovernmental organizations. Starting from this literature, the research aims to differentiate the various processes that coexist under the umbrella of land grabbing, seeking to visualize its main structural lines. The main resources that will be analysed are the Land Matrix, the Oakland Institute reports and the latest 2016 GRAIN report: this choice is based on the relevance of these data, as they are datasets and matrices that are taken into consideration in academic discussions on land grabbing. What will therefore be analysed is the way in which these resources affirm or overlook certain issues rather than others and how this affects research. The assumption that more reliable and accurate data can lead to better regulation and less abuse and dispossession is not entirely true, as Saturnino Borras underlines. However, greater availability of data on investments can open a window to the world on how land grabbing is connected to much wider issues of biodiversity, food security, climate crisis and predatory capitalist formations.