landgrabs
Forcible property takeovers
Landgrabs is the plural of landgrab—acquisitions of land through aggressive, opportunistic, or dubious means.
The term often describes powerful entities seizing territory from less powerful ones: corporations buying up farmland in developing countries, governments appropriating indigenous territory, or developers snapping up urban lots.
International landgrabs have displaced thousands of small farmers.
The word implies that the acquisition is unfair or exploitative, even when technically legal.
Absorbing territory into jurisdiction
- borderOuter edge or limit
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
- occupationOne's regular paid work
- encroachmentGradual intrusion on territory
demarcation · frontier · geopolitics · jurisdiction · partition · secession · enclave · dominion
Extending dominion over others
- colonizationForeign territorial takeover
- settlersThose who establish homes
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- exploitationSelfish use of others
conquest · subjugation · dispossession · displacement · expropriation · plantations · missionaries · reservations
Edge of settlement
- settlementResolved dispute or colony
- homesteadingSelf-reliant land-based lifestyle
- westwardToward the sunset
- pioneersFirst to explore territory
encroachment · sprawl · suburbanization · development · growth · spread · proliferation · outpost
Goods obtained for payment
- ownershipLegal right of possession
- transactionExchange of goods/money
- propertySomething owned or inherent
- deedWritten property conveyance
title · buyout · holdings · estate · transfer · appropriation · claim · stake
Commercial farming sector
- plantationsLarge-scale farming operations
- monocultureSingle-crop agricultural system
- smallholdersFarmers of modest plots
- peasantsLow-ranking agricultural workers
subsistence · eviction · biofuels · palm-oil · soy · deforestation · corporatization · dispossession
Those who create software
- rezoningChanging land-use designation
- gentrificationWealthy influx displacing locals
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
- flippingTurning over rapidly
real-estate · investors · displacement · eviction · profiteering · commodification · development · zoning
Armed struggle between groups
- invasionForcible entry into territory
- occupationOne's regular paid work
- disputeVerbal clash over differences
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
uprising · violence · clashes · aggression · rebellion · hostilities · struggle · sanctions
annexation
Absorbing territory into jurisdiction
- borderOuter edge or limit
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
- occupationOne's regular paid work
encroachment · demarcation · frontier · geopolitics · jurisdiction · partition · secession · enclave · dominion · expansionism
imperialism
Extending dominion over others
- colonizationForeign territorial takeover
- settlersThose who establish homes
- indigenousOriginating in a region
exploitation · conquest · subjugation · dispossession · displacement · expropriation · plantations · missionaries · reservations · treaties
frontier
Edge of settlement
- settlementResolved dispute or colony
- homesteadingSelf-reliant land-based lifestyle
- westwardToward the sunset
pioneers · encroachment · sprawl · suburbanization · development · growth · spread · proliferation · outpost · exploration
purchase
Goods obtained for payment
- ownershipLegal right of possession
- transactionExchange of goods/money
- propertySomething owned or inherent
deed · title · buyout · holdings · estate · transfer · appropriation · claim · stake · seizure
agribusiness
Commercial farming sector
- plantationsLarge-scale farming operations
- monocultureSingle-crop agricultural system
- smallholdersFarmers of modest plots
peasants · subsistence · eviction · biofuels · palm-oil · soy · deforestation · corporatization · dispossession · enclosure
developers
Those who create software
- rezoningChanging land-use designation
- gentrificationWealthy influx displacing locals
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
flipping · real-estate · investors · displacement · eviction · profiteering · commodification · development · zoning · predatory
war
Armed struggle between groups
- invasionForcible entry into territory
- occupationOne's regular paid work
- disputeVerbal clash over differences
resistance · uprising · violence · clashes · aggression · rebellion · hostilities · struggle · sanctions · retaliation
landgrabsland treaties
Contracts governing ground ownership
treaties · cessions · homesteading · land grants · eminent domain
landgrabsland conservation
Protecting terrain from exploitation
land preservation · protected areas · nature reserves · land trusts · rewilding