Seeds of A Revolution » Defining The Disruptive Geopolitics Of The Global Farms Race

Who’s Behind The Land Grabs?
October 23rd, 2012

Via Farmland Grab, an in-depth look at some of the individuals and organizations behind the recent land acquisitions worldwide: Every day there are new stories of companies buying up farmlands. Malaysian palm oil giants buying up lands for plantations in West Africa. Wall Street bankers taking over cattle ranches in Brazil. Saudi businessmen signing land[…]

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Food Security Risk Index 2013
October 10th, 2012

Via The Guardian, an interesting graphical analysis of food security risk worldwide to use as a barometer to identify those countries which may be susceptible to famine and societal unrest stemming from food shortages and price fluctuations:

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Are India’s Farmers Victims of a Global Land Rush?
October 10th, 2012

Via TIME, a report on how rising food prices have sparked protests in India and elsewhere in the developing world because of the global land rush: Members of India’s rural communities, including the landless, poor farmers and the tribal community, sleep on a road at a halting point during “Jan Satyagraha,” a march to New[…]

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US Farmers Scramble To Buy Brazil’s Farmland
September 29th, 2012

Via Al Jazeera, a report on the trend of foreigners buying up prime agricultural land in Brazil and a look at how proposed legislation could curtail the booming trade: Phil Corzine, a fourth-generation farmer from Illinois, is living the American dream, but it’s happening on dusty soy farms in the interior of Brazil, rather than[…]

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Land Rush Leaves Liberia’s Farmers In The Dust
September 28th, 2012

Via The Globe and Mail, a report on the impact of the new land rush in Liberia: A woman walks through an area only metres from her village of Nimba Point in Liberia that was forest and farmland only a few months ago. Residents are now faced with adjusting from an agriculture-based economy to a[…]

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An African Growth Story: Agriculture
September 28th, 2012

Courtesy of The Financial Times, a report on foreign investment in African agriculture: The public debate about the ethics of investing in farmland is being ignored by serious investors who seem to have had no qualms about buying up large tracts of land in Africa, according to a report in Monday’s FTfm. It could be[…]

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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.

The content contained in this blog represents the opinions of the author only (except when other individuals or sources are directly quoted, of course). The author’s opinions are not a recommendation to buy or sell any security or pursue a specific investment opportunity. This commentary is merely a personal analysis to foster discussion for informational purposes only. At any time, the author may hold either long or short positions in securities of various companies discussed in the blog. This commentary in no way constitutes a solicitation of business or investment advice. It is intended solely for the entertainment of the reader and the author, and should be taken in any way as representing the views of my employers or business associates, past, present, or future.