Combating EU “land grabbing” by promoting agricultural research
- BASF
- 23 February 2012
BASF interviews Prof. Dr. Harald von Witzke, International Agricultural Trade and Development Institute of the Humboldt University, Berlin
BASF interviews Prof. Dr. Harald von Witzke, International Agricultural Trade and Development Institute of the Humboldt University, Berlin
Olam Nigeria Limited, a Singapore based agric investor has commenced work on a $90 million rice farm investment projec covering 10,000 hectares of irrigated farmland in Ondorie area of Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
Afrifresh Group, a South African agriculture group, is set to acquire a controlling stake in Ariston Holdings, as Emvest pulls out.
AAID is also setting up an agricultural land investment company, in conjunction with Saudi investors, which will start with capital of $60 million to acquire land in Egypt, Sudan and Kazakhstan.
On the issue of land investments that are referred to by their critics as "land grabbing", Gates said: "It's not actually possible to grab the land. People don't put it on boats and take it back to the Middle East."
New data set documens 416 recent, large-scale land grabs by foreign investors for the production of food crops, covering nearly 35 million hectares of land in 66 countries.
The recent rush to acquire farmland in order to meet rising global demands for food and fuel is putting African countries at risk of bearing costs of global resource scarcity, says a new study by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).
Survival uncovers shocking new evidence of human rights abuses against tribes in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley, as government efforts to develop lucrative sugar cane plantations in the region intensify.
The growing insecurity and violence in Gambela, seen in the recent loss of human lives and attacks on government institutions, should be seen as a clear warning to investors about the dangers involved in large scale agricultural investments, says the Anywaa Survival Organisation.
Le phénomène d'accaparement des terres se multiplie et s'accentue à travers toutes les provinces du pays : du Katanga à l'Equateur, du grand Kivu à l'Orientale, en passant par les deux Kasaï, mettant à rude épreuve les populations locales
Promoting agricultural development in Africa and addressing the world's food security challenges requires investing in farmers - not in farmland, says Lorenzo Cotula.
African officials have called for greater equity and fairness in trade with the GCC countries that use agricultural land in Africa to feed their populations while famines continue to ravage the continent.