Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Land grabbing across Sri Lanka has exploded — villagers are evicted from their homes and land, as farms and forests are taken for tea, rubber, palm oil and banana plantations, and the development of tourist infrastructure such as all-inclusive hotels for mass tourism, all of which comes with huge environmental impacts.
These land grabs are a continuation of colonial practices, and they are necessitated by an export-oriented agricultural model. Global South countries are trapped in a vicious cycle. High levels of foreign debt, mean they must produce vast amounts of 'cash crops' for export to international markets as this is the only way they can earn the foreign currency needed to service their loans.
The Movement for National Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) is pushing back. MONLAR, a long-standing partner of War on Want, works towards building a people’s movement for food sovereignty — mobilising small farmers and marginalised communities to protect natural resources and human rights, lobby for change and build alternative food systems and farming practices.
Land grabbing across Sri Lanka has exploded — villagers are evicted from their homes and land, as farms and forests are taken for tea, rubber, palm oil and banana plantations, and the development of tourist infrastructure such as all-inclusive hotels for mass tourism, all of which comes with huge environmental impacts.
These land grabs are a continuation of colonial practices, and they are necessitated by an export-oriented agricultural model. Global South countries are trapped in a vicious cycle. High levels of foreign debt, mean they must produce vast amounts of 'cash crops' for export to international markets as this is the only way they can earn the foreign currency needed to service their loans.
The Movement for National Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) is pushing back. MONLAR, a long-standing partner of War on Want, works towards building a people’s movement for food sovereignty — mobilising small farmers and marginalised communities to protect natural resources and human rights, lobby for change and build alternative food systems and farming practices.
