Cover -- About the author -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Historical roots of the land rush -- The first great land grab: the European scramble for Africa -- The second great land grab: state-led land acquisitions after independence -- Agricultural intensification and 'land grabbing' from below -- 3 Scale, geography and drivers of the land rush -- How much land has been acquired, and where? -- 3.1 What we know about the scale and geography of land acquisitions in selected African countries -- Who is behind the deals? -- The business case for 'land grabbing' -- 4 'Land grabbing' in the shadow of the law -- How governments facilitate the land rush -- 'We are also sons of this country': how national law makes rural people vulnerable to dispossession -- International law at two speeds: universal rights and different rules -- What is in the contracts? -- Beyond the statute books -- 5 Winners and losers -- What do the deals mean for affected villagers? -- Do land deals lead to a 'water grab'? -- Changes in national economies and societies -- Transitions in the global food system -- 6 Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Index.