Around the world, community land is being targeted by governments and big business. This ‘land grabbing’ may be to grow cash crops for export, such as palm oil, soy, sugarcane and maize, or for mining projects and oil production, or to build roads and dams, or to set up agrofuel plantations and carbon offset schemes. But when land is taken, local people rarely benefit from the projects. Instead, they lose their rights to land they may have owned or used for generations. It is estimated that between 80 and 260 million hectares of land have been targeted by land grabbers to date, taking away people’s livelihoods, changing their culture and identity, and harming the environment.

This guide is intended to support communities in their struggle to retain their rights in the face of land grabbing.