The private sector needs to double investment in the land itself to help drive agricultural development in countries that need it most, say the heads of EBRD and FAO

An Ethiopian farmer could sue the UK government after claiming a project that received funding from Britain led to the eviction from his farm and human rights abuses.

"We appreciate the Principles for Responsible Agricultural Investment elaborated by the World Bank, FAO, IFAD and UNCTAD, support the ongoing extensive consultations on these principles, and welcomed the approval of the Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests."

Nigeria's Sokoto State Government and Novel Management Services of Switzerland sign a N35 billion deal for a rice project covering 25,000 ha of land in the River Rima basin.

Activists are fighting to introduce or strengthen laws intended to give women more secure access to land and are combating social norms and practices that stand in their way.

Analysts are warning of a looming food crisis, while on the other hand, pointing to plenty of land, uncultivated but fit for farming, in the Russian Far East.

An American owned company with a track record of illegality and links to private equity giant Blackstone Group is threatening to destroy rainforests and dislocate local communities in Cameroon, Africa.

New York venture-finance firm Herakles Capital has withdrawn its application for membership of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil after complaints by environmental groups about its $350 million project in Cameroon.

It is understood the agricultural division of the $163 billion Canada Pension Plan Investment Board has been sniffing around Australian agricultural land recently and has had discussions in Australia with landholders such as PrimeAg.

The approved sale of sprawling Australian cotton farm Cubbie Station to Chinese interests has sparked a political row as Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce insists foreign ownership is not in the national interest.

Australia approved a Chinese company's bid for giant (100,000 ha) cotton farm, including entitlements to a massive 537,000 mega litres of water, or enough to fill Sydney Harbour.

Foreign purchases of land in New Zealand have dropped off significantly over the last seven months, after Chinese investors became embroiled in a long-running land dispute and declining carbon-credit prices made forestry assets less attractive.