According to Quizon and Ravanera (2017), there are three major factors driving this global rush for land. The first is the rise in world food prices that started in the 1990s and reached its peak in 2006-2008, triggering a global food crisis. In 2008, the food insecurity of food-importing countries intensified as the top food-exporting nations halted their exports from the world market in order to protect their own consumers. In response, wealthy import-dependent countries (such as Japan and Middle East countries) began acquiring farmlands overseas to directly produce their own food and reduce dependence on world markets. This land acquisition drive continues even after the food crisis had abated. The second driver is the growth of the biofuel industry, which became attractive because of the sudden rise in oil prices and western governments’ increasing support for renewable fuels. Rising world energy consumption, continuing instability in the Middle East, and China’s rapid industrial growth have all contributed to rising oil prices. Lastly, “large-scale land acquisition is also driven by logging, mining, real estate tourism and the creation of special economic zones and enclaves” (Quizon and Ravanera, 2017). Quizon and Ravanera (2017) assert that “host governments have welcomed these new land investments as a means to offset declining public investments in agriculture and a reduction in official development assistance for agriculture.” In order to attract these foreign investments, cash-strapped governments offer tax holidays, subsidies, exemptions, repatriation of profits and other incentives. “While foreign investors are typically large, wealthy transnational firms or rich governments, host countries are usually poor or embroiled in political conflict” (Ibid). A 2010 World Bank report noted that “investors are targeting countries with weak laws, buying arable land on the cheap, and failing to deliver promises on jobs and investments…” It is in this context that human rights abuses also occur. Quizon and Ravanera (2017) aver that “many of these land deals are consummated outside of public knowledge and scrutiny. With little prior information or consultation, local communities are caught unaware until the moment when they are evicted or land clearing operations begin.” It is also not uncommon for harassment or intimidation to be involved in getting communities to vacate lands. In various situations, military personnel, paramilitary units and private security forces have 20 Upholding Land Rights amidst the Land Rush