Land Inc. is an ambitious collective work that brought TerraProject to Brazil, Dubai, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Madagascar, the Philippines and Ukraine to document an epical passage of humanity: the shift from family farming to large­scale industrial plantations.

After the 2008 food crisis, countries that rely on imports to satisfy internal food demand began acquiring or leasing fertile land from other nations to cycle food back to their internal markets, while private investors saw food and biofuel production as a new and booming commodity.

This rush for fertile lands had a series of repercussions. Because of land grabbing, indigenous people and farmers started to get displaced, losing access to their only source of livelihood. Monocultural large estates started replacing small­scale farms, reducing the biodiversity of locally grown crops. And with the expansion of the biofuel market, land and water were increasingly utilized to cultivate non­food crops. In many cases, this phenomenon had environmental impacts, such as deforestation, pollution and control over water resources.

Land Inc. is our two years ­long effort to understand and visually represent the actors and the forces behind this phenomenon. This project is about control. Who controls land, those who have always inhabited it, or those who can afford large investments? And who ought to benefit from agricultural productions? Those who cultivate and need it, or those who can sell it abroad for a higher value? Can land deals lead to development and prosperity for growing economies, or will land speculations prevail, negatively impacting the lives of the local communities?

In view of a burgeoning world population, and an even more increasing demand for food, our project aims to provide a substrate for thoughts and reflection on this crucial and under documented global issue.

Land Inc book info and how to get it here.