Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Africa’s Land Rush
March 15th, 2021

Via Oxfam, commentary on Africa’s land rush: Remember the global riots over food set off by sharp spikes in commodity prices in 2008? The biofuel hype as THE solution to dirty oil? And the financial crisis that drove investors to look for alternative assets to invest their dollars, euros and pounds? As these developments came […]

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A Million Hectares Of Papuan Forest Licensed For Clearing
March 8th, 2021

Via Mongabay, a report on a plan to clear millions of hectares of forest in Papua New Guinea: Natural forests spanning 1.1 million hectares (2.7 million acres) in Indonesia’s Papua region have been slated for conversion, mostly for oil palm plantations, according to a new report by a coalition of NGOs. For now, more than […]

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Kazakh President Bans Foreign Ownership Of Farmland
February 26th, 2021

Via Al Jazeera, an article on a recent Kazakh presidential order banning foreign ownership of farmland: Kazakhstan will permanently ban foreigners from owning or renting farmland in the vast Central Asian nation, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said, ending a lengthy dispute that once prompted anti-government protests. Kazakhstan is a major producer of grains, oilseeds and […]

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To Farm or Not To Farm In Developing Countries
February 22nd, 2021

Via Transcend Media, commentary on issues related to land and farming in developing nations: The week has been an interesting one full of global challenges, with escalating violence propagated by the military coup in Myanmar, resulting death of a young protester from a bullet wound[i], the SARS Cov-2 lockdowns and curfew Netherlands[ii], with an exponential […]

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Saudi Arabia Triples Agriculture Investments Abroad
January 22nd, 2021

Via Gulf News, an article on Saudi Arabia’s Agricultural Development Fund: Saudi Arabia’s Agricultural Development Fund loans have grown by 300 per cent since 2016 to be worth more than 3.7 billion riyals, a senior official said. Munir bin Fahd Al Sahli, Director General of the Agricultural Development Fund, said part of the fund’s investments […]

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Danish Investors Accumulate Arable Land In Eastern Romania
January 6th, 2021

Via Romania Insider, a report on how Danish investors are accumulating arable land in eastern Romania: Agriculture group FirstFarms, controlled by Danish investors, has consolidated its position in the eastern part of Romania, where it owns silos with a capacity of 20,000 tonnes, by taking over lease contracts for 400 hectares of arable land, Economica.net reported. The […]

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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.