ABSTRACT
Water grabbing is a term that refers to the control and acquisition of water resources, an action that negatively affects the more vulnerable groups affected by a power imbalance. Research has been recently devoted to the hydrological component of land-grabbing, particularly in Large-Scale Land Acquisitions (LSLAs). This global phenomenon, previously described as a “global water-grabbing syndrome,” has considerable implications for food security in several developing countries, especially those with high levels of malnutrition and already characterized by high levels of biophysical water scarcity. In this chapter we describe an assessment framework for water grabbing and food security that refers to water scarcity and malnutrition as the main indicators; we quantify the number of people who potentially suffer from malnutrition because of LSLAs and transnational land deals. We then discuss the results of this assessment in light of a political-economy perspective on agribusiness and global virtual water trade. We conclude with a discussion of the implications on global food security and identify the governance gaps and areas for intervention that we believe should be more urgently addressed.
