Here's the Deal

Authors

Sam Szoke-Burke, Columbia Law School, Columbia Center on Sustainable InvestmentFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-2016

Abstract

The last decade saw a spike in the acquisition of land in low-income countries by investors seeking to carry out agricultural or forestry projects. In many of these countries, agricultural and forestry concessions are granted through investment contracts between the government and the company. These are seldom made available to the public, despite their important implications for public policy. In some circumstances, they can even change the way domestic laws apply to the investment.

OpenLandContracts.org is a new tool that makes agricultural and forestry contracts easier to access and understand. This offers a range of benefits, including the encouragement of more sustainable land-use practices and fresh opportunities for public participation in decision-making on such investments.

Disciplines

Agriculture Law | Contracts | Environmental Law | International Law | Land Use Law | Law | Rule of Law | Securities Law | Transnational Law

Recommended Citation

Sam Szoke-Burke, Here's the Deal, RCIS Journal, October/November 2016 (2016).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/sustainable_investment_staffpubs/158