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Of course not everyone should do it, but those for whom there is no real use in the cities anymore.
Nobody says one should chop down forests.
I would not be opposed to land reforms, though.
Of course not everyone should do it, but those for whom there is no real use in the cities anymore.
Nobody says one should chop down forests.
I would not be opposed to land reforms, though.
There is no land reform in the West and if you're honest you know there won't be.
Just as if you're honest you know there's going to be no mass exodus from cities to the country side.
I don't need to be honest, I never claimed anything of that to begin with.
But those who want to engage in subsistence agriculture should be given land.
And I think prisoners should be forced to work on farms, instead of being fed with tax money and becoming even more criminal while in jail.
Is "land grab" being thought of as a bad thing? The entire history of the USA has bee a rolling land grab, right up to modern times and the corporate farming replacing family agriculture, not to mention the American forest products industry, and the development of suburban subdivisions.
Everywhere in the world, including the USA, land is the only thing of value, which varies in value according to what is on it or under it. It is all up for grabs, has always been, always will be. The only "moral" judgment is whether you (or people of your culture or nationality) are positioned to benefit or not from the land grab.
Is "land grab" being thought of as a bad thing? The entire history of the USA has bee a rolling land grab, right up to modern times and the corporate farming replacing family agriculture, not to mention the American forest products industry, and the development of suburban subdivisions.
Everywhere in the world, including the USA, land is the only thing of value, which varies in value according to what is on it or under it. It is all up for grabs, has always been, always will be. The only "moral" judgment is whether you (or people of your culture or nationality) are positioned to benefit or not from the land grab.
Of course it is thought of as a bad thing. Just because it was common in the past does not mean it was right, far from it.
The term as such already implies it is immoral. Else it would simply be "land purchase". To grab has a negative connotation. Not far from to take away from or to steal from.
Luckily your view is not correct. That's why there were sanctions against Russia for their Crimea land grab.
That's also why even monetary land grabs (such as those by Britain or Saudi Arabia) are rather shady and there are lots of opponents, except for the corrupt African governments, of course. The buying countries do not want their transactions to get into the media.
Well, then, in what ways has land ever changed hands that meets your criteria of "good"? People guilty of even more reprehensible cash grabs, exchanging their ill-gotten fortunes for the land they desired? Bankers forming development subsidiaries and buying farmland to subdivide it and then lending money to people to buy their plots, and repossess it in hard times? Is that legitimate land acquisition, as distinct from a land grab?
As I said, I am against people (especially foreigners) owning any land in the first place, regardless of the way it is obtained.
The country (i.e. all the population via its elected representation) should remain in control of the land. It can lease land to individuals and companies as long as those do something with it that's useful and benefits the country as a whole.
As I said, I am against people (especially foreigners) owning any land in the first place, regardless of the way it is obtained.
The country (i.e. all the population via its elected representation) should remain in control of the land. It can lease land to individuals and companies as long as those do something with it that's useful and benefits the country as a whole.
I agree with you in principle, but if that were enforced,it would make our hallowed free-enterprises system completely inoperable. What is the worth of acquiring wealth, if it cannot be used to buy land and the right to control it?
I agree with you in principle, but if that were enforced,it would make our hallowed free-enterprises system completely inoperable. What is the worth of acquiring wealth, if it cannot be used to buy land and the right to control it?
I have not noticed that owning land is a priority or motivation for most people, at least not here in Europe.
You make people seem more greedy and ambitious than they actually are. In Germany for instance the majority of people never own any home nor land. About 60% of people live in rented apartments and homes, and are content.
But yes, I agree to your rhetorical question: what is the point in acquiring wealth? There are other things that are much more important. Health, happiness, safety and security...
Despite talk of Africa’s unused land, few places are truly empty. “On a map it is like that,” says Mbumwae Nyambe, a paralegal with the Catholic church. “But when you go in the field you find there are already people there.” Uncultivated land is used for grazing, foraging or hunting. Occupiers are often surprised to hear themselves labelled as squatters. In northern Uganda people returning home after being displaced by war found their “empty” fields had been dished out among generals, tycoons and conservationists.
Perhaps a tenth of Africa’s cultivated land is now in the hands of big business, which uses most of it for biofuels, timber and other non-food crops. As significant is the rise of mid-size farms (those between five and 100 hectares), often owned by civil servants in the cities. “They have the political connections,” says Thomas Jayne of Michigan State University. Many are not serious farmers. Those who own more than 20 hectares often leave most of it idle.
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