Investing in land for water: The converging legal regimes

IISD | July 2016

Investing in Land for Water: The Converging Legal Regimes

While it is clear that investment in farmland is motivated in large part by access to water resources, water-related impacts tend to arise only as an afterthought in the “land grabbing” debates.These same water resources are lifelines for local farmers, pastoralists and other communities, which makes sound legal frameworks all the more necessary. This policy brief presents the different sources of law that are triggered by the use of water for farmland investments, and makes recommendations to help reconcile different legal regimes while ensuring water issues are adequately addressed.

Download the brief