OpenLandContracts.org is an initiative of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), a joint center of Columbia Law School and the Earth Institute at Columbia University.
- CFS, Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (2014)
- FAO-CFS, Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (2012)
- OECD-FAO, Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains (2015)
- French Agency for Development (AFD), Guide to Due Diligence of Agribusiness Projects that Affect Land and Property Rights (2014)
- Land Policy Initiative (AUC-AfDB-UNECA), Guiding Principles on Large Scale Land Based Investments in Africa (2014)
- New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, Analytical Framework: Due Diligence and Risk Management for Land-Based Investments in Agriculture (2015)
- USAID, Operational Guidelines for Responsible Land-Based Investment (2015)
- United Nations, Principles for Responsible Contracts (2011)
- United Nations, Large-Scale Land Acquisitions and Leases: A Set of Minimum Principles and Measures to Address the Human Rights Challenge (2009)
OpenLandContracts.org informs the growing campaign for disclosure of information around land-based investment in agriculture, forestry, and renewable projects, and demonstrates that contract disclosure in relation to land-based investments is both feasible and valuable.
In addition, the OpenLandContracts.org platform is available as a tool for governments, investors, and other stakeholders interested in land contract disclosure. OpenLandContracts.org can provide technical support to build country-specific websites that include contracts, annotations of key terms, and other relevant documents or tools.
*Occasionally projects are undertaken by a government acting as investor; in these cases, the contract would be between the host government and the investing government. Such contracts are also included on this site.
- Host governments seeking to negotiate with investors and monitor contract implementation
- Communities and civil society organizations pushing for greater accountability around land transactions
- Companies undertaking due diligence regarding potential concessions, or seeking to align with international best practices that urge contract transparency
- Media covering major investments and natural resource issues
- Researchers, lawyers, and other practitioners seeking more information about the content of land contracts