At the UN hunger summit in Rome wealthy food-importing nations are being accused of grabbing land from small farmers in developing countries and ignoring the plight of starving people.

The bad publicity farmland acquisitions generated is putting off buyers, especially short-term investors, UN food and farm agencies experts said at an international food security forum.

Saudi-based Almarai Co says it plans to take a 50 percent share of the dairy market in Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, by 2013, a report said.

Pour Nettie Wiebe, une paysanne canadienne, membre dirigeante de La Via Campesina : « La véritable solution à la crise alimentaire passe par une reprise du contrôle des moyens de production alimentaire tels que la terre, les semences, l'eau et les marchés locaux par les paysans et les paysannes, et non par les multinationales ».

Libya's Muammar Gaddafi called for an end to the purchase of African farmland by food-importing nations at a UN hunger summit on Monday, describing it as "new feudalism" which could spread to Latin America as well.

Ethiopia's agriculture ministry put an advertisement in its website for 180,625 hectares along the Omo River in southern Ethiopia.

The landgrab heats up, and the neocolonialists stake their claims.

Multinational food companies have come under fire for buying up farmland in developing countries by activists holding a forum in parallel to the UN Hunger Summit.

Plusieurs ONG ont accusé les multinationales de l'alimentaire de chercher à s'emparer de millions d'hectares de terres de bonne qualité appartenant aux petits paysans du tiers monde, lors du sommet de la FAO sur la sécurité alimentaire à Rome.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi calls it the “new feudalism.” Groups representing peasant farmers call it “land grabs.” The United Nations literature dispersed at this week's UN food summit in Rome calls it “direct foreign investment.”

A strong set of guidelines for land acquisitions abroad could take years, but is necessary for protecting the interests of small farmers, political leaders said.

Area nearly the size of France purchased, leased for food production around the world Africa, South America, parts of Europe targeted by cash-rich, food-poor nations

Meanwhile, the government is planning to launch an initial public offering for the shares of Hassad Food, the strategic food investment arm of Qatar Investment Authority, in order to list it on the local bourse, according to Doha-based Al Arab daily.

30 millions d'hec­tares auraient déjà fait l'objet de négociations au premier semestre 2009, soit un peu plus que la surface exploitée en France (27,5 millions d'hectares). Un mouvement qui s'accélère : en 2008, 10 millions d'hectares avaient changé de mains.

Land Grabbing, Food Sovereignty and Cimate Change are the issues expressed in front of FAO summit in Rome. Video interviews.