An increasing number of investors are looking at their feet as they cast around for returns in a zero interest rate environment. Farmland is likely to become a more and more attractive asset class as food scarcity worsens and land becomes a precious commodity.
With a need to import 100m tonnes of grain each year by 2020, Beijing needs to invest in global agricultural markets, experts say
A 'villagisation' programme that has been linked to the leasing of large tracts of land for commercial agriculture has left people from Ethiopia's Gambella region bereft of land and loved ones, casting donor support in an unflattering light
Valiance, a London-based asset manager, launched a fund in May 2012 that aims to invest in Brazilian farmland through a joint venture with Bovespa-listed farming company SLC Agrícola
As much as 10% of Romanian farmland could be in the hands of multinational businesses, but there are no official statistics to establish the full extent of the corporate takeover.
As institutions and private investors show increased interest in farmland, prices are rising.
New Zealand's state pension fund is looking at buying overseas farmland amid growing demand for food in emerging markets, and it is also interested in assets offered by struggling European banks as well as catastrophe insurance.
At the final rally the protesters denounced food speculations and land grabbing. They said the farmers need fair rules instead of a liberalization of agricultural markets.
Liberia is selling itself slice by slice nine years after a terrible civil conflict finally came to an end, even though that could kindle tension among a population that often feels it is being sold out.
“We don’t want to work for palm oil companies, we want our forest back,” says Christianus Ungkujay
Ministers' Communiqué from the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture – Berlin, January 19th 2013
Foreigners will not be allowed to lease land for a period exceeding 49 years and those who fail to put their land to use will face stiff penalties, which include repossession.
