The purpose of the UNEP Foresight Process is to produce, every two years, a careful and authoritative ranking of the most important emerging issues related to the global environment. UNEP aims to inform the UN and wider international community about these issues on a timely basis, as well as provide input to its own work programme and that of other UN agencies, thereby fulfilling the stipulation of its mandate: “keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action”.Concerns over future energy and food supplies have led to a new rush
for acquiring lands in developing countries by both foreign and national investors. Research shows that the rate of land acquisition has greatly accelerated over the past few years. There is a need to better understand the scale of the phenomenon, the main countries at risk, and the trade-offs involved. It is also important to grasp how this trend will affect livelihoods, food security, ecosystem services, and conflicts.