June 7th, 2021
Via Mother Jones, an article on how wealthy investors are snapping up large tracts of farmland—and sowing discontent: Bill Gates, in his journey from software oligarch to philanthropist, has managed to hang on to a personal fortune worth $127 billion, making him the globe’s second-wealthiest person. As his wife Melinda French Gates’ divorce from him proceeds, it[…]
Read more »Kazakhstan Bans Sale of Agricultural Lands to Foreigners
May 19th, 2021
Via The Diplomat, detailed commentary on Kazakhstan’s recent decision to ban the sale of agricultural lands to foreigners: Last week, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed into law a bill proposed earlier this year that bans the selling and leasing of agricultural land to foreigners. With the law, Kazakhstan’s leaders hope to put aside public concerns about Chinese investors scooping[…]
Read more »May 2nd, 2021
Via Eurasia Review, a report on who some call Pakistan’s ‘Biggest Land Grabber’: Pakistan army’s insatiable hunger for land is no secret. Infact it’s so pronounced that it even found prominence during the 2007 lawyers’ protest against Gen Pervez Musharraf’s decision to remove Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, when protesters carried banners proclaiming ‘Ae watan ke[…]
Read more »Kazakhstan: Ban On Foreign Landowners
April 26th, 2021
Via Eurasianet, a report on Kazakh plans to impose a permanent ban on the sale and lease of agricultural land to foreigners: Kazakhstan is on the cusp of imposing a permanent ban on the sale and lease of agricultural land to foreigners. It is a rare victory for grassroots campaigning, but may be a blow[…]
Read more »April 8th, 2021
Via The Guardian, an article on Bill Gates’ private ownerships of U.S. farmland: Bill Gates has never been a farmer. So why did the Land Report dub him “Farmer Bill” this year? The third richest man on the planet doesn’t have a green thumb. Nor does he put in the back-breaking labor humble people do to grow[…]
Read more »Does Japan Need to Control Land Purchases by Foreigners?
March 23rd, 2021
Via The Diplomat, an article on a debate over the national security implications of foreign land ownership in Japan: In recent years, the Japanese government has sought to draft and enact new legislation to regulate the acquisition and use of Japanese land with implications for national security. Currently, there are no Japanese laws or regulations[…]
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