The Land Matrix Initiative

What The Land Matrix Initiative does

The Land Matrix Initiative is an independent, non-profit land monitoring consortium established in 2012 (with predecessor activities dating to 2009) that tracks large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in low- and middle-income countries. It is governed by a steering committee of five core partner organizations — the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern, the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA), the International Land Coalition (ILC), and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) — and operates through four Regional Focal Points covering Africa (RECONCILE), Asia (AFA), Latin America (FUNDAPAZ), and Eastern Europe (Ecoaction).

Its core product is a publicly accessible open-data platform built on a geo-referenced land-deal database, delivered through three web-based interfaces — interactive GIS maps, filterable data tables, and charts — supplemented by regional observatories, country profiles, in-depth deal narratives, and major Analytical Reports (I, II, III, plus a 2025 report on land-based offset projects). Data is crowd-sourced through a public contribution interface and licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0, enabling unrestricted reuse including commercial use. The initiative serves researchers, policymakers, civil-society organizations, UN bodies, and journalists globally.

The Land Matrix is funded entirely through institutional donor grants (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development/BMZ, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation/SDC, European Commission) and in-kind contributions from partner organizations; it generates no commercial revenue, charges no user fees, and is not venture-backed or PE-owned. Its principal outputs are free data, analytical publications, and policy engagement at venues such as UNFCCC and the World Bank Land Conference, with recent strategic emphasis on land-based carbon-offset acquisitions and supply-chain deforestation analytics.

Name

The Land Matrix Initiative

Legal name

The Land Matrix Initiative

Website

https://landmatrix.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Land Matrix Initiative is a non-profit consortium that operates a free, open-data platform tracking large-scale land acquisitions in low- and middle-income countries, serving researchers, policymakers, civil-society organizations, and international bodies with verified GIS-mapped deal data and analytical reports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Governance Data and Research

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (54137), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370)

akta.pro primary industry

Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mapping & Basemap Platforms (Tiles/SDKs) (BPAMANAB), Land Administration & Cadastral Services (Public Land Records, Parcel Management) (BPAIANAH)

Keywords

• Land acquisition monitoring
• Land governance data
• Open data platform
• GIS land mapping
• Land rights research

Headquarters

HQ city

Potchefstroom

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Funding: The Land Matrix Initiative is financed and supported by partner organisations as well as donors including German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and European Commission. This is a grant-funded, non-profit initiative rather than a commercially operating entity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Land Matrix is an independent land monitoring initiative that promotes transparency and accountability in large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in low- and middle-income countries. It operates an open data platform providing interactive GIS maps, filterable data tables, and data visualization charts that give users access to a global database of land deals. The initiative is supported by research outputs including Analytical Reports, Country Profiles, and Deal Narratives, plus public contribution tools for data submission.

Product overview

The Land Matrix Initiative operates a comprehensive land monitoring platform consisting of three primary web-based interfaces (Interactive Maps, Data Tables, and Charts) that provide access to a Global Observatory database of large-scale land acquisitions. The platform is supported by four Regional Focal Points covering Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe. Research outputs include Deal Narratives (in-depth case studies), Country Profiles (country-specific analyses), and Analytical Reports (comprehensive research publications including the landmark Analytical Reports I, II, and III). The platform also enables public contributions for data submission and feedback. All data and materials are released under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 International license.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Interactive Maps GIS-based interactive mapping interface enabling exploration of land deals from global down to national level, displaying geographic distribution of large-scale land acquisitions across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. Available to all users via the Land Matrix website.
• Data Tables Filterable dataset interface allowing users to search and filter information by deals, investors, countries, and other parameters to find specific land acquisition data from the global database.
• Charts and Data Visualization Wide selection of charts and visual representations illustrating information about land deals, enabling users to analyze trends and patterns in large-scale land acquisitions through web-based visualizations.
• Global Observatory / Land Deal Database

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8 million hectares identified as acquired for carbon offset projects in the Global South since 2000
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of BerncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDE is member of the Land Matrix steering committee, research committee, and technical team, and ensures the integration and enhancement of geo-referenced data. Located in Bern, Switzerland.
• CIRAD (Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench research centre working with developing countries on agricultural and development issues. Member of steering committee and research committee, supports data collection for Africa.
• German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIGA is member of steering committee, research committee, and technical team. Responsible for data management and maintenance of the Land Matrix global database as well as supporting global data collection. Located in Hamburg, Germany.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Federal Government enterprise operating in international cooperation services for sustainable development across more than 130 countries. Supports the initiative through financial contributions and data collection and verification.
• International Land Coalition (ILC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal alliance of civil society and intergovernmental organisations working to promote secure and equitable access to land. Member of steering committee and technical team, facilitates engagement with ILC members and National Engagement Strategy agendas at country level.
• Asian Farmers' Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance of 20 national member farmers' associations in 16 countries in Asia with combined membership of around 13 million small-scale farmers. Responsible for management of Asia regional page and coordinates data collection, research, networking, and communications for the region. Member of steering committee.
• Centre for Environmental Initiatives EcoactioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil society organisation consolidating experts and activists for common action from Europe to Central Asia. Responsible for management of Eastern Europe regional page and coordinates data collection, research, networking, and communications for the region.
• Fundación para el Desarrollo en Justicia y Paz (FUNDAPAZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil society organisation aiming to contribute to reducing rural poverty in the Chaco region in Argentina. Member of steering committee and responsible for management of Latin America regional page, coordinating data collection, research, networking, and communications with partners in different countries of the region.
• Resource Conflict Institute (RECONCILE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGO dedicated to addressing land and natural resource-based challenges through policy research, advocacy, and community engagement. Responsible for management of Africa regional page and coordinates data collection, research, networking, and communications for the region.
• ISRA-BAME (L'Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles le Bureau d'analyses macro-économiques)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports the Land Matrix initiative in West Africa in collaboration with RECONCILE (Africa Regional Focal Point).
• Carbon Market WatchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on joint report 'Trading carbon credits for human rights: Does Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement protect Indigenous Peoples and local communities?' examining Paris Agreement carbon market mechanisms.
• TMG ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on joint publication 'Net Zero & Land Rights' analysing impacts of climate strategies on land rights, biodiversity, and social justice.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• OpenLandContracts.org: Repository of publicly available land contracts from large-scale land deals worldwide; directly comparable as an open-data transparency platform for land concessions.
• Land Portal Foundation: Open data initiative providing curated land governance information, country profiles, and land tenure datasets globally — closely comparable to Land Matrix as a public-interest land information platform.
• Global Forest Watch: World Resources Institute's open-source forest monitoring platform offering interactive maps, datasets, and analytics on deforestation worldwide — directly comparable as a public-interest geospatial data platform covering land and environmental issues.

Others

• Namati: Global network of community paralegals advancing land and citizenship rights; adjacent ecosystem player operating in the same land-governance space but focused on legal service delivery rather than data publishing.
• Climate Focus: Advisory and research firm working on REDD+, land use, and climate policy; comparable in generating analytical land/climate publications and participating in international climate forums alongside Land Matrix.

Broad incumbents

• Global Witness: Established investigative NGO publishing major reports on land grabbing, corruption, and environmental crime; overlaps with Land Matrix in target user base (civil society, media, policymakers) and subject matter, but operates as advocacy rather than a database.
• Resource Watch (WRI): WRI's broader data platform offering interactive visualizations on global resources including land use, forests, and climate — comparable in offering open geospatial datasets but covers a much wider scope than land acquisitions specifically.

Emerging players

• Landesa: Global land rights organization developing laws, programs, and policy on land tenure; shares Land Matrix's land-governance mission and policy-influencing outputs but is program-focused rather than a data platform.
• TRASE: Data platform mapping agricultural commodity supply chains (soy, beef, palm oil) and linking them to land-use impacts; comparable geospatial analytics approach and even co-citation with Land Matrix in soy deforestation research.
• Accountability Framework Initiative: Coalition providing norms and tools for ethical supply chains relating to land, forests, and human rights; overlaps with Land Matrix in serving companies and policymakers addressing land acquisition risks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LandMatrix
• Xx.com/Land_Matrix
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/land-matrix-initiative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Land Matrix Initiative