February 4th, 2011
Via China Dialogue, a report detailing the race by foreign companies are snap up the best fertile land in the food-insecure country of Mali and what this means for local subsistence farmers, who fear the loss of their fields, crops and water. As the article notes: A new complex of government offices on the banks […]
Read more »The Small Print Behind Big Land Grabs
February 1st, 2011
Courtesy of The Guardian, an interesting report on the contracts behind the purchase of millions of hectares of African farmland. As the article notes: “…Invest in land, goes the old saw, they’re not making it any more. And, as we have reported, many rich countries and companies are doing just that in the developing world. […]
Read more »February 1st, 2011
Via African Agriculture, an article on the risks and rewards facing investors and hosts in the global land rush: “…Phil Corzine was touring South America as part of an agricultural leadership program when he saw the future. The third-generation corn and soybean farmer from Illinois in the American Midwest had already visited Chile and Peru […]
Read more »China: Against The Grain In Argentina
January 29th, 2011
Via GRAIN.org, a detailed look at the implications of China’s farmland acquisitions in Argentina’s Rio Negro Province. As the article notes: “…That’s the way Argentine civil society organisations such as Foro Permanente por una Vida Digna, a community organisation based in the city of Viedma in Río Negro province, are describing an agreement signed by […]
Read more »January 17th, 2011
Via Green Prophet, a report on the interconnection between oil prices and food prices, and how wealthy Arab states are trying to create a food “pipeline” to stave off riots. As the article notes: Desert Farming in Libya As oil prices once again begin to climb past $100 a barrel as they did in 2008 […]
Read more »Ethiopia: Land Sale or Land Grab?
January 6th, 2011
Via Ethiomedia, a detailed look at Ethiopia’s position in the global farms race: “Given Ethiopia’s acute poverty status, its dependency on food aid, and the ever changing global economic context; there is no doubt that Ethiopia’s agricultural sector must change fundamentally, and there is no question that such a fundamental change requires sizable investment. Poor […]
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