General info

Land area

This section records the area size of the deal/project. Please enter all area figures in hectares (ha) and, where possible, link values to a year or exact date and provide the data source.

Land Matrix distinguishes three different area variables:

1) Intended size (ha)

Definition: The total area the investor intends to acquire, lease, or otherwise obtain land-use, control, or ownership rights for under this specific deal.

How to record:

Enter the overall intended size for this deal (in ha).
If the investor already controls part of the area and intends to expand, include the already acquired area in the intended total.
Example: 1,000 ha already held + plan to acquire another 1,000 ha → Intended size = 2,000 ha.

Important scope rule (avoid overcounting):

Only record intentions that clearly relate to this specific deal and its location.
Do not enter general expansion plans that refer to the investor’s total land portfolio in a country without deal-specific geographic information.
Example: “The company plans to expand to 10,000 ha in the country” (no location, not deal-specific) → do not record as intended size for this deal.
Do not include intended expansions that likely refer to other projects not listed in Land Matrix.

Notes/remarks:
Use the comment field to explain uncertainty, assumptions, or conflicting figures.

2) Size under contract (leased or purchased area) (ha)

Definition: The area that is contractually secured under this deal (i.e., land for which the investor has formally acquired land-use, control, or ownership rights through a contract such as a lease or purchase agreement).

Time series / year- or date-based entries:
This variable can contain multiple entries to reflect changes in contracted area over time (increases or decreases). Each entry includes:

Date (year or exact date): When the specified area size was valid / under contract
Area (ha): Contracted area size at that time
Current (checkbox): Mandatory (single choice) to mark the most recent and currently valid value

Data entry rules:

Add entries in chronological order (top to bottom).
The row order corresponds to the export order.
Use the “+ / –” controls to add/remove rows.

Notes:

Contracted area may change over time; record each distinct value as a separate entry.
If sizes differ across sources or over time, explain the reasons in “Comment on land area” (e.g., phased contracting, partial cancellations, revisions of boundaries).

3) Size in operation (production) (ha)

Definition: The area that is actually in use for operations/production (e.g., planted, cultivated, harvested, mined), i.e., the portion of land under the deal that is actively used.

Time series / year- or date-based entries:
As with size under contract, you can record multiple entries over time. Each entry includes:

Date (year or exact date): When the operational use occurred / was observed
Area (ha): Area in operation at that time
Current (checkbox): Mandatory (single choice) to mark the most recent and currently valid value

Example:
If 2,500 ha were planted in 2016 → enter Area (ha) = 2,500 with Date = 2016.

Data entry rules:

Add entries in chronological order (top to bottom).
Use the “+ / –” controls to add/remove rows.

Notes:

Operational area can change over time; record increases/decreases as separate entries.
If needed, clarify fluctuations and differing figures in “Comment on land area” (e.g., partial cultivation, fallow periods, shifts between crops).

Intention of investment

(Year-/date-based variable)

Use this variable to record the investor’s business intention associated with the land acquisition, i.e. the intended land use / intended product categories of the deal. Changes over time can be documented by adding multiple entries.

How to enter data

Each entry consists of:

Choices (multi-select): Select one or more intentions that apply for the given point in time.
Area (ha) (optional): Decimal number in hectares that can be linked to the selected intention(s).
Date (optional): Date or year of the entry, in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD, YYYY-MM, or YYYY).
Current (mandatory): Tick the Current checkbox to mark the latest entry.
- Only one entry should be marked as Current (the most recent one).
Use the “+ / –” buttons to add or remove complete entries.

Important guidance

Multiple intentions may apply at the same time. If a deal serves more than one purpose, select all relevant intentions.
Example: Sugar cane may be used for food crops, biofuels, and energy generation; in this case, select all applicable categories.
If you allocate an Area (ha), use it to assign the size corresponding to the selected intention(s) for that date/year. If the allocation is unclear, leave Area blank and explain in the comment field (if available).
For detailed lists of crops, livestock, and resources, please refer to Annexes 2, 3, and 4.

Value range (Choices)

Agriculture (incl. tree crops)

Biomass for biofuels
Biomass for energy generation (agriculture)
Fodder
Food crops
Livestock
Non-food agricultural commodities
Agriculture unspecified

Notes (Agriculture):
Agriculture categories follow the FAO classification approach. Use Agriculture unspecified if the specific agricultural purpose is unclear.

Food crops: edible produce for human consumption
Non-food agricultural commodities: non-edible products (e.g., rubber, cosmetics, fertilisers, tobacco)

Forestry

Biomass for energy generation (forestry)
For carbon sequestration / REDD
Forest logging / management for wood and fibre
Timber plantation for wood and fibre
Forestry unspecified

Notes (Forestry):

Timber plantation refers to long-term forestry concessions with forest management and typically reforestation obligations. It does not refer to one-time ad hoc logging concessions. Timber plantations may involve establishing new plantations or taking over existing forests.
Use Forestry unspecified if the specific forestry intention is unclear.

Renewable energy power plants

Solar park
Wind farm
Renewable energy unspecified

Other

Conservation
Industry
Land speculation
Mining
Oil / Gas extraction
Tourism
Other

Notes (Other):
Select Other only if none of the listed categories fit. Provide details in the comment field (if available).
Use Renewable energy power plants (not “Other”) when energy is produced via facilities such as wind or solar parks.

Format

Area: decimal, ha (optional per entry)
Date: ISO 8601, YYYY-MM-DD / YYYY-MM / YYYY (optional per entry)
Current: checkbox (mandatory; mark the most recent entry)

Nature of the deal

This variable captures the type of transaction / land-rights arrangement under which the land is/was acquired for the deal (i.e., how land rights are transferred or granted).

How to select values

Select the option(s) that best describe the agreement(s) governing the deal, for example:

Outright purchase (full transfer of ownership)
Lease (land-use rights granted for a defined period)
Concession (time-bound right to use/operate land or resources; scope and legal meaning may vary by country)
Exploitation permit / licence / concession (mineral resources) (right to exploit a specific mineral resource in a defined location; use only for mining deals)
Pure contract farming (no land rights transferred; production organised via contracts with farmers)

Guidance and typical cases

Mining deals: Select Exploitation permit/licence/concession (mineral resources).
Forest logging/management: Select Concession.
Most agricultural deals: Typically Outright purchase or Lease.

Note: The scope of rights differs between transaction types, and the legal interpretation of lease and concession may vary by country/region.

Multiple selections and exceptions

If a deal includes multiple agreements (e.g., several licences, combined lease + permit, or subsumed/merged deals), you may select more than one option.
If none of the predefined categories fit, choose the closest applicable option (if any) and describe the arrangement in the comment field.

Documentation

Where information is complex or ambiguous (e.g., differing sources, overlapping contracts, unclear rights), add a short explanation in the comment field to clarify what is known and how you interpreted it.

Negotiation status

(Year-/date-based variable)

This variable records the contractual trajectory of the land acquisition over time—i.e., how the deal progresses from an initial expression of interest, through negotiations and agreements, to possible cancellation, expiry, or changes in ownership. Failed deals are not removed from Land Matrix and should remain recorded with their final status.

How to enter data

For each change in status, create a separate year-/date-based entry consisting of:

Status (select from the list below)
Year/Date (when the status was reached for the first time)
Current (tick one entry as the most recent/current status)
Comments (use to explain context, uncertainty, or complex sequences)

Use “Add more” to record subsequent status changes in chronological order.

Important: Do not infer negotiation status from implementation status. For example, a deal may be abandoned operationally but still have a concluded contract (e.g., temporarily on hold). Record negotiation status based on evidence about agreements/contracts, not on activity on the ground.

Status categories (definitions)

Intended (Expression of interest)

A potential investor publicly or informally expresses an intention to invest in the target country (sometimes with an indicated location), but no formal negotiation is confirmed.

Intended (Under negotiation)

The investor and the government or a national company in the target country are in contact and discussing a possible land transfer, but no agreement has been reached and no contract has been signed.

Intended (Memorandum of Understanding)

A preliminary agreement (MoU) is signed between the investor and the government or a national company. In some cases, land use may begin before a formal contract is in place; record the MoU as the relevant status and explain details in the comments.

Concluded (Oral agreement)

An agreement on the land transfer has been reached, but no written contract has been signed yet. Use this option also if an agreement was reached but it is unclear whether a contract was signed.

Concluded (Contract signed)

A written contract for the land transfer has been signed.

Failed (Negotiations failed)

Negotiations were terminated before an agreement was reached or a contract was signed.

Failed (Contract cancelled)

An existing contract was cancelled, terminated, or otherwise broken.

Contract expired

The contract reached the end of its duration. If a new contract is signed later, record the new concluded status as a subsequent entry; otherwise, contract expired may remain the final status.

Change of ownership

The deal was taken over by another investor. Two common scenarios apply:

i) New contract signed with the new investor
Record change of ownership with the year/date of the takeover, and then record concluded (oral agreement/contract signed) for the new contract with its year/date. Add explanatory notes in the comments and ensure the most recent entry is marked as Current.

ii) Existing contract transferred to the new investor (contract unchanged)
Record change of ownership with the takeover year/date, and also keep the most recent concluded status (oral agreement/contract signed) with the original contract year/date, because the deal remains contractually concluded. Explain the sequence in the comments and mark the most recent status as Current.

Practical notes

Always add entries chronologically.
Use the comments field to document uncertainties, conflicting sources, or complex sequences (e.g., multiple cancellations, renewed negotiations, partial transfers).
One entry must be selected as Current to indicate the latest known negotiation status.