farmlandgrab.org | Latest posts

Latest posts

Fodder for war: Getting to the crux of the natural resources crisis
- RRI
- 27 January 2010
As interest in transnational land acquisition for food production grows, the importance of legal customary tenure recognition becomes more apparent.
The new way of bio-colonialism in Ethiopia
- Anyuak Media
- 26 January 2010
How could Meles know the legitimate owners of the land, namely the future generation of Ethiopians, may not need the land say 20 years from now?
Mideast supplies: Slowdown in Gulf states’ dash for farmland
- Financial Times
- 26 January 2010
The urgency among Gulf states to pursue farmland acquisitions has diminished as food prices have gone down and controversy has gone up. Still, Saudi Arabia is pushing ahead with its plans.
Il nuovo colonialismo: Caccia alla terra coltivabile
- Egea
- 26 January 2010
Dal luglio 2007 ad aprile 2009, quasi 20 milioni di ettari di terreni coltivabili sono stati oggetto di negoziati e accordi tra governi e società private. Un fenomeno che è stato definito "neocolonialismo". Questo libro racconta chi sono i cacciatori di terra, dove agiscono e quali insidie, ma anche quali opportunità, si nascondono in questo rinnovato interesse per l'agricoltura.
Conference: Large scale farming in Africa
- CMT
- 25 January 2010
“Large Scale Farming in Africa” is an international conference, which meets on 20-21 Apr 2010 in Cairo to explore upcoming investment opportunities in Africa’s agriculture sector, and discuss risk management and financing solutions.
Gulf firm seeks long-term lease on Tanzanian farmland
- This Day
- 25 January 2010
A UAE company is seeking a 98-year lease on vast tracts of farmland in Tanzania to grow rice in order to secure food supplies for the Gulf countries.
Principles for responsible agricultural investment that respects rights, livelihoods and resources
- World Bank
- 25 January 2010
A discussion note prepared by FAO, IFAD, UNCTAD and the World Bank Group to contribute to an ongoing global dialogue.
Wikileaks: Saudi foreign agriculture investment plans: Opportunities for increased trade, assistance, and US jobs
- Wikileaks
- 24 January 2010
US government mission in Riyadh writes, "Although the idea of Saudi farms in Africa may sound farfetched, the Kingdom has for years hired foreign managers and laborers to administer its farms and other agribusinesses (e.g., most Saudi wheat farms currently have Egyptian managers)."
Qatar seeks US tech deals on food security
- Arabian Business
- 24 January 2010
A top-level Qatar National Food Security Programme (QNFSP) delegation, led by QNFSP chairman Fahd al Attiyah, will visit agricultural research institutes and meet senior US Government officials, including from the White House, the State Department, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy during its week-long US programme.
Namibia: Huge tracts of land in park for agri project
- The Namibian
- 22 January 2010
A foreign company intends to clear 10 000 hectares of land in the Bwabwata National Park in northern Namibia in order to set up a large-scale irrigation scheme for crop farming
Jordan: Gov't seeks investors for Sudan project
- Jordan Times
- 22 January 2010
The government is working to attract local and foreign investors to finance the Jordanian agricultural mega-project in Sudan, said a senior official. "One international company has shown interest in taking part in the project so far," the minister told The Jordan Times
Oz-based fund eyes $600m in agro-tech
- The Phnom Penh Post
- 21 January 2010
Peter Costello, the former treasurer of Australia, revealed Wednesday he was working with an investment fund that planned to inject US$600 million into Cambodia’s agricultural sector. The projects will cover a vast area, about 100,000 hectares.
Gulf sovereign funds show interest in farmland fund
- Reuters
- 21 January 2010
The fund is in the process of leasing 50,000 hectares of land in Tanzania which will be complete by the end of this year and will mainly be for rice production.
Significant progress - Agriculture and industry in Sudan
- Global Arab Network
- 21 January 2010
Both private and public sector investors from countries such as Qatar, Libya, Jordan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the Arab world as well as China and Korea elsewhere now hold long term rights to a total of two million feddans of arable land in Sudan, according to figures from the country’s agriculture ministry.
Swiss firm preps agricultural hedge fund
- FIN Alternatives
- 20 January 2010
The Lumix AgroDirect Fund, which has been incubated since June 2008, invests in the production of soft commodities and in commodity trade finance in Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.