Brazil's Lula meets Saudi king on historic visit

• AFP
• 17 May 2009

One area the Saudis are looking at is investment in agriculture in Brazil as Riyadh seeks to build up food security by purchasing or leasing farmland in other countries.

Sudan's rural riches attract investors

• Al Jazeera
• 16 May 2009

Despite internal conflicts and an inability to feed its own people, Sudan believes it can be not only Africas breadbasket, but also the world's.

Pakistan on prowl for $10 bln in Gulf help

• Zawya Dow Jones
• 16 May 2009

Pakistan hopes to attract more than $10 billion of investment from oil-rich Arab Gulf countries this year to help develop the country's infrastructure, a senior government official said Saturday.

UAE companies eye projects in Pakistan

• The National
• 16 May 2009

Investors from the UAE are considering a number of investments in Pakistan, despite escalating violence in the north-west of the country.

Uyghur women block land grab

• Radio Free Asia
• 15 May 2009

Women in China’s northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region have turned back officials trying to implement a forced farming program on their land, but remain concerned about their property rights, according to farmers there.

Kuwait looks to raise stake in China's ICBC

• Reuters
• 15 May 2009

Kuwait is also looking at making investments in other sectors in China, while also pursuing agreements in Southeast Asia to guarantee food security for the desert state that relies predominately on imports of food.

Land grab underway in Africa

• Tierramerica
• 15 May 2009

Non-governmental organizations and activists in Europe are denouncing a wave of land acquisitions in Egypt, Sudan, Cameroon, Senegal, Mozambique and elsewhere in Africa as a new form of colonialism.

Philippines: Potential $300-million Saudi investments cited

• Business World
• 14 May 2009

A visit last week by Saudi Arabian businessmen could result in $300 million in investments to develop 20,000 hectares of farm lands for commercial crops.

Pakistan: MoI decides to sell 1m acres of farmland to foreigners

• Daily Times
• 14 May 2009

Pakistan's Ministry of Investment has decided to offer one million acres of farmland for long-term investment or sale to foreigners, including the Emirates Investment Group.

About

• 13 May 2009

Malaysia's global oil palm rainforest land grab just the beginning of larger land and water scarcity issues

• Ecological Internet
• 13 May 2009

Over-developed, over-populated, and land and water scarce Asian and Middle East nations embark upon global land grab to produce food and agrofuels; threatening global human rights, rainforest and other natural ecosystems, and regional and global ecological sustainability. Deadly global ecological issues require global citizens to unite in escalating protest action!

More on African land deals

• Global Dashboard
• 13 May 2009

More important is for Africa to realise its own potential for food production, which would in the long-term negate the need for these deals.

Philippines: DA wants ecozones created for agribusiness

• Business Mirror
• 13 May 2009

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) wants to create exclusive economic zones for agribusiness that would take into consideration the nuances of food production and an expanded set of incentives for locators.

Pakistan seeks investment to build eight million houses

• Gulf News
• 13 May 2009

“We have finalised plans for the corporate farming project and we have the capabilities to meet the food requirements of the GCC countries," said Senator Waqar Ahmad Khan, Investment Minister of Pakistan. “They will be able to export 50 per cent of the crop while the 50 per cent would be sold in Pakistan,” adding that 6.65 million acres of land for agriculture is available in Pakistan.

What investors are watching in Sudan

• Reuters
• 13 May 2009

Sudan is trying to diversify and strengthen its economy to make up for plummeting oil revenues. Ministers have been wooing agricultural investors, particularly from the Arab world.