Land grabbing for palm oil in Uganda

The document examines the Vegetable Oil Development project (VODP) in Uganda, a partnership involving the Government of Uganda, IFAD, Wilmar International, and Bidco. It reports that the project has led to the displacement of local communities, the destruction of approximately 3,600 hectares of forest, and increased food insecurity. The report highlights violations of national land and environmental laws, the lack of required Environmental Impact Assessments, and the fact that production targets far exceed domestic needs, suggesting a focus on exports over local food security.

• The Vegetable Oil Development project (VODP), initiated in 1998, aims to plant 40,000 hectares of palm oil, with the first phase targeting 10,000 hectares in the Kalangala islands. As of the report, 7,500 hectares have been planted.
• The project has caused significant deforestation, with an estimated 3,600 hectares of natural forest destroyed to make way for plantations, impacting the food, medicine, and livelihoods of islanders.
• Local communities have faced displacement, often without compensation, and the project has increased food insecurity as land previously used for food crops was converted to oil palm.
• Employment benefits have not reached local communities; 95% of plantation jobs are held by migrant workers from other parts of Uganda who are paid below the island's average wage.
• The project's production capacity is designed to exceed Uganda's domestic needs, indicating that a significant portion of the oil will be exported despite the project's stated goal of reducing reliance on imported oils.
• The project has violated several Ugandan laws, including the Constitution's prohibition on compulsory land acquisition, the Land Acquisition Act's compensation procedures, and the National Environmental Act 1988 regarding buffer zones near Lake Victoria.
• The expansion of the project is proceeding without the necessary Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and a promised full social and environmental impact assessment has not occurred.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2013). Land grabbing for palm oil in Uganda. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Land-grabbing-for-palm-oil-in-Uganda.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. Land grabbing for palm oil in Uganda. 2013. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Land-grabbing-for-palm-oil-in-Uganda.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=Land grabbing for palm oil in Uganda |date=May 2013 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Land-grabbing-for-palm-oil-in-Uganda.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2013land, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{Land grabbing for palm oil in Uganda}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2013}, month = may, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Land-grabbing-for-palm-oil-in-Uganda.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }