How palm oil production is fuelling land grabs, environmental degradation and repression in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Canadian connection
Growing global demand for cheap vegetable oil for processed food, biofuel and cosmetics is a key factor behind land grabs across Africa. There are many Canadian connections to this story, including the agribusiness company Feronia, which now stands accused of complicity in the murder of an activist and the incarceration of five others in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Gwen talks to Devlin Kuyek of the organization GRAIN about these developments, and the growing push back by communities in response to the dispossession and despoliation of their lands, the loss of biodiversity, grim labour practices and repression.
