The first Pan African Land Grab Hearing, held in Johannesburg on August 15, provided a forum for community representatives from 12 countries to present first-hand testimonials to a panel of eminent persons about the impact of land grabbing on their lives. The hearing – organized by Oxfam, ActionAid, the Institute for Poverty, Land, and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) and the Future Agricultures Consortium – also provided space for discussions about alternative forms of investment as an approach to curbing the negative effects of large-scale land acquisitions across the continent.