A plan to lease 240,000 hectares of farmland to investors is threatening to displace more than 100,000 local residents.
The Lurio River Valley Development Project aims to produce cotton, corn, sugar, ethanol and livestock. It's estimated that 500,000 people will be affected by the plan, with 100,000 forced from their homes.
We must speak out against these types of plans, and make sure that any plan going forward includes investing in local farms to keep local communities healthy.
We the undersigned ask that you refuse to approve the Lurio River Project because it will displace over 100,000 people and ruin their livelihoods. Instead, we suggest that you invest in local farmers, many of whom still use the most basic hoes to till their fields and lack access to the best seeds. This will do far more to alleviate poverty in your country.
