We conducted an advocacy training for about 60 Catholic nuns in Tanzania and 13 representative farmers from these rural communities affected by the issue of land grab by large scale multinational agribusinesses. Using the acquired skills, the nuns conducted town hall meetings in several villages to listen and mobilize the people, including Muwimbi village in Iringa district where water source had been confiscated by a large scale investor for irrigation of a farm which used to belong to the village.  National radio and television channels aired the story to educate Tanzanians and put pressure on the official to take action. It worked. The District Commissioner of Iringa called one of the TV stations to stop airing the program because he was working on the issue. The water was released to the community within days. The pressured to review the contract still on.

Land grabbing, the large-scale acquisition of land in developing countries by foreign or local companies or individuals, often without due process, is a serious problem in Africa. Over 50 % of total land grabbed worldwide is in Africa. As a result, communities have been displaced, their source of livelihoods taken away. AFJN organizes workshops and conferences, town hall meetings and radio programs to educate local communities about land grabbing, supports small-scale farmers and responsible investments in Africa’s agricultural sector, and advocates for laws to prevent and stop land grabs.