Archive for February, 2010

Ethiopia: Land grabbing And The Emergence Of ‘Cereal Republics
February 5th, 2010

Via Ethiomedia, a provacative analysis of the Ethiopian government’s recent designation a total of 3 million hectares of agricultural land to be leased to incoming foreign investors.  As the article notes: “…Ethiopia’s recent history is punctuated by famine. Severe droughts, on-going conflicts and stagnating agricultural growth have been reproducing widespread food insecurities for decades. Compounded […]

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The Hungry Dragon: China Looks West For Food Security
February 5th, 2010

Via The Vancouver Sun, a look at China’s global hunt for food security, in particular its desire for Kazakhstani agricultural land which some view as another tentacle of Beijing’s creeping imperialism.  As the article notes: “…President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan has an unmatched survival instinct. This, after all, is a man who came to power […]

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An Axis of Wheat?
February 1st, 2010

Courtesy of Forbes, a look at Russia’s interest in including India in its strategic reserve plan for wheat.  As the article notes: “…In June 2009 at the World Grain Forum, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in St. Petersburg, Russia, Viktor Zubkov, the first Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, made an announcement. He […]

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About This Blog And Its Author
Seeds Of A Revolution is committed to defining the disruptive geopolitics of the global Farms Race.  Due to the convergence of a growing world population, increased water scarcity, and a decrease in arable land & nutrient-rich soil, a spike of international investment interest in agricultural is inevitable and apt to bring a heretofore domestic industry into a truly global realm.  Whether this transition involves global land leases or acquisitions, the fundamental need for food & the protectionist feelings this need can give rise to is highly likely to cause such transactions to move quickly into the geopolitical realm.  It is this disruptive change, and the potential for a global farms race, that Seeds Of A Revolution tracks, analyzes, and forecasts.

Educated at Yale University (Bachelor of Arts - History) and Harvard (Master in Public Policy - International Development), Monty Simus has long held a keen interest in natural resource policy and the geopolitical implications of anticipated stresses in the areas of freshwater scarcity, biodiversity reserves & parks, and farm land.  Monty has lived, worked, and traveled in more than forty countries spanning Africa, China, western Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Southeast & Central Asia, and his personal interests comprise economic development, policy, investment, technology, natural resources, and the environment, with a particular focus on globalization’s impact upon these subject areas.  Monty writes about freshwater scarcity issues at www.waterpolitics.com and frontier investment markets at www.wildcatsandblacksheep.com.