In Benin, the race to buy land is on! States, corporations, multinationals and investment funds are hungry for farmland.

Le G8 entend mettre un peu d'ordre et de principes dans la ruée mondiale sur les terres arables des pays du sud, à défaut de pouvoir s'immiscer dans les transactions qui privent les populations des terres dont elles dépendent.

El G-8 espera regular con algún tipo de normas las grandes compras de tierras de labranza en países en desarrollo, que ya provocaron la transferencia de propiedad de 15 a 20 millones de hectáreas en detrimento de los agricultores y del abastecimiento de los mercados locales.

Le Bénin, l'un des rares pays à avoir échappé aux émeutes de la faim en 2008, subit aujourd'hui les méfaits de l'agrobusiness. La pression foncière y est particulièrement forte, notamment pour les paysans béninois, obligés de vendre.

En los últimos años la agricultura viene pasando por una etapa de transición que, según el analista Reynaldo Trinidad, viene siendo perjudicial para los pequeños agricultores y favorece directamente a las grandes corporaciones, en lo que sería una “nueva reforma”, que podría poner en peligro la seguridad alimentaria del país.

Cambodia is experiencing what's been called an epidemic of land grabbing. Huge tracts of the country have been granted to private companies for large scale agriculture or other purposes.

Que la re-africanisation de l'agriculture africaine soit menée par les entreprises étrangères ne me dérange pas

"We don't know enough yet in practice to formulate a very strong code of conduct," David Hallam, of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, told Reuters.

The boom in the acquisition of arable land in Africa by foreign companies and governments has stirred an international debate between international institutions such as the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and non-governmental groups and independent experts.

Japan's proposal to set up a set of common guidelines to promote smooth global investment in agriculture was endorsed by other leaders of the G8

IFAD is supporting a pilot initiative to promote properly structured ("win-win") agricultural land deals in Ghana.

A focus on agricultural productivity should not become a cover for foreign private companies to grab land or impose expensive, input-intensive methods in the name of modernisation.