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As negotiations over responsible agricultural investment policy run through the summer, Tanzanian villagers fight for the return of 20,000 acres of land lost to a failed biofuel project.KISARAWE, Tanzania — I arrived in Tanzania, one of the frontlines in the battle over land grabs in Africa, just as another round of international negotiations on guidelines for “responsible agricultural investment” (RAI) wrapped up in Rome late last month. The policy document is intended to curb so-called “land grabs” in Africa and other developing countries.Negotiations were not going well.

The financial collapse of a project by UK-based Sun Biofuels shows how the development dream can quickly turn into a nightmare for local people. Land and water resources that had been held collectively is now fenced off from villagers while the promises of infrastructure, jobs and better life never materialized. Redeye host Lorraine Chisholm speaks with Frederic Mousseau, policy director at the Oakland Institute. Listen to the show

Fourth in a series. Begin at the Introduction, then Wants & Needs, then The Agrisol Proposal.Chinese factory workers earn less than their American counterparts. People in the Cambodian garment industry or Indian call-centers will be paid less than the same functionaries in more developed nations. The standard and cost of living is lower in the third world. Opportunities are lacking. Consumer and producer relationships subsist on the gulf between richer and poorer.Companies from the states or Europe can hire abroad and insist on strict labor guidelines.

Update The United Nations (UN) has now adopted guidelines for a purchasing nation that call for the protection of indigenous people who use the land. Governments must now be transparent about land deals, respect human rights and consult with local communities during the purchasing process.

The Spain-based group Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN), recently released a study of 416 recent land grabbing deals across 66 countries in which some 35 million hectares of land have been sold or leased to foreign investors, including those from the US.The International Land Coalition (ILC) reported that between 2000 and 2010, roughly 203 million hectares of land were leased or sold in developing countries, mainly in Africa, to foreign investors from the US, China, the UK, and other countries.

Pambazuka News speaks to Oakland Institute about the findings of their latest round of in-depth research into land grabs in Africa, from the role played by the energy policies of rich countries and the World Bank to the dangers of a development agenda that fails to heed the negative social, economic and environmental impacts of industrial agrofuel and agroforestry projects.

While individuals across the US and EU offer support to victims of famine and conflict in Africa, their countries' energy policies and development agendas take food and other resources away from Africans, while also harming the environment. This is the finding of a research released Tuesday by the Oakland Institute in the United States. According to a statement made available to PANA here by the Institute, the research demonstrates that land grabs--largely unregulated land deals involving foreign corporations and speculators--continue to be promoted as a 'development' solution for African nations.