Following the food crisis of 2007/08 and the economic and financial crisis of 2008/09, there was a rapid increase in global land investments. This led to a highly polarized debate between proponents and opponents of the phenomenon known as land grabbing, which is now seen as a proxy for the lack of discussion about agriculture in international development policy. The return of agricultural issues to the global political agenda highlights the political-ecological significance of land as well as the ongoing societal relevance of agricultural development. David Kaess analyzes the historical and structural significance of the current developments and provides a systematic, theory-based classification of the phenomenon. Against the backdrop of historical and contemporary accounts from Tanzania, he explores the (state) political dimension.