As the world lurches from crisis to
crisis, the value of land, water, forests, minerals and other
natural resources as sources of wealth creation
continues
to rise. For those with long-standing ties to land,water and territories, nature’s
greatest wealth
and value is life itself, and these crises simply confirm the necessity for humans to
live symbiotically with nature. However for many, natural resources are things that can be
parceled, packaged, changed, bought, sold and traded in markets far away from the original location of
the resource.
The attribution of rights to natural
resources reflects these differences.
Corporations, financial
institutions and many governments promote
marketable
rights through land titles, water trading rights,
emis-
sions trading, etc.
Most governments recognize those who can
pay most as rights holders to land, water, minerals and forests. For
peasants, fisherfolk, workers, indigenous peoples and rural and urban
poor, their rights to resources are legitimate claims to lands and
eco-systems that are rooted in respect for nature, as well as their
rights to self determination. The realization of these rights
is a
necessary precondition for building democratic and just governance
systems, and ensuring peace and harmony with nature.
One particular example: Dominion Farm’s
land grab in
Nigeria
Farmers in Nigeria’s Taraba State
are
being forced off lands that they have farmed for generations to
make way
for U.S. company Dominion Farms
to establish a 30,000 ha
rice plantation. The project is backed by the Nigerian
government
and the G8’s New Alliance for
Food Security and Nutrition in
Africa.
The lands being given to Dominion
Farms
are part of a public irrigation scheme that
thousands of
families depend on for their
food needs and livelihoods. The local
people were not consulted about the deal with Dominion Farms and, although
the company has already started to occupy the lands, they are still
completely
in the dark about any plans for compensation or
resettlement. Local people
oppose the Dominion Farms project.
They
want their lands back so that they
can continue to produce food for
their families and the people of Nigeria
(...).
Quotes from local farmers speaking
during meetings with ERA and CEED at Gassol community:
“We were happy when we heard of the
coming of the Dominion Farms not knowing it was for the selfish
interest of some few
members of the State, Federal Government
and
the foreigner in charge of the Dominion
Farms. Our land is very rich
and good. (..)
But since Dominion Farms people arrived
with their machine and some of their
working
equipment we were asked to stop our farm
work and even
leave our lands as the land
is completely given to the Dominion
Farms
project. (...)”
- Mallam Danladi K Jallo
“We are speaking in one voice against
Dominion Farms because we are opposing
their activities. We have
fish ponds that we
inherited from our forefathers on that land,
but
Dominion Farm has said that they will
sand fill all of them to give
them more space
to plant their crops. When they commenced
work on the land they came with
security
personnel whom Dominion Farms mandated to evict all farmers
who were working on
their lands.”
- Alhaji Mairiga Musa
“We do not subscribe to a foreign
agricultural and farming system that we do
not have knowledge. They
came here to
farm. The only story we hear is that our
land is taken
away and will be given out.
We were not involved at any level. For
the
sake of the future and our children, we are
requesting
governmental authorities to ask
Dominion Farms to stay away from
our
land”
– Rebecca Sule (Mama Tina)
Environmental Rights Action (ERA),
Friends of
the Earth Nigeria, CEED,
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