July 24th, 2014
Via The Broker, commentary on the global land grab: The idea that there is a “land grab” taking place in developing nations began with the publication of a report,Seized!, by the NGO Grain. This rang an alarm bell about large-scale land acquisitions – particularly by a number of Asian countries and Gulf States, which are acquiring […]
Read more »When Wall Street Went To Africa
July 14th, 2014
Via Foreign Policy, an interesting report on a New York tycoon who won a sweetheart deal to build a massive “sustainable” palm oil plantation in Cameroon: At the main gate of the Herakles Farms plantation, a large billboard reads, “Contributing to a sustainable future for Cameroon.” The gate is little more than a bamboo pole […]
Read more »July 1st, 2014
Via the University of Virginia, a new report on the global land grab: Crops grown on “land-grabbed” areas in developing countries could have the potential to feed an extra 100 million people worldwide, a joint study involving the University of Virginia shows. The large-scale acquisition of land by foreign governments and business – more commonly […]
Read more »The Next Breadbasket: Why Big Corporations Are Grabbing Up Land On The Planet’s Hungriest Continent
June 18th, 2014
Courtesy of National Geographic, a report on big business’ interest in African farmland: Using hand tools and draft animals, a family harvests wheat in Ethiopia’s famine-prone highlands. Education has helped small farmers become more efficient, but wheat yields are still a third below the world’s average. With more than a third of Ethiopians malnourished, the […]
Read more »May 16th, 2014
Via Farmland Grab, a look at what some call water grabs: In a world running out of accessible water, the question of control looms large. Is water a human right, a public trust and common heritage or a commodity to be put on the open market like oil and gas? Water grabs The fear over […]
Read more »Africa Is Up For Sale By The Acre To The Highest Bidder
May 12th, 2014
Via The African Renaissance, an article on African land acquisitions: Africa is up for sale by the acre to the highest bidder. But how can rice exports from Ethiopia to Saudi Arabia be justified? Land grabs have grabbed global attention. It’s on the agenda at the World Economic Forum this week, and as the trend for large […]
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