UK

Atlas Farming, which had successful farming ventures in Zimbabwe from the late 1960s until president Robert Mugabe's much criticised land reforms around 2000, has partnered with Chayton Capital to invest in large-scale farming in Zambia.

The Government has ordered 2000 squatters out of land meant for large-scale paddy farming in Kilombero district, Morogoro region.

"Le pari (des financiers), au départ, était un peu le même que celui du private equity dans le monde industriel : dénicher un gisement de croissance largement sous-exploité ; le faire fructifier à l'aide d'investissements considérables et un suivi attentif ; obtenir en peu de temps des rendements sans égal – on espérait jusqu'à 400% sur les friches africaines ; décrocher la timbale, non sans redistribuer un peu et rembourser les emprunts."

Foreigners have an interest (partial or total ownership) in 1.6 percent of all privately held US agricultural land, a 1.4 million acre increase from 2007.

Almost half the farmland bought in Britain last year was snapped up by banks and funds.

Provisional authorization for land exploitation (1 000 ha) in the Gaza province and Terms of authorization of project "Emvest Limpopo Project (Matuba Farm)"

"The reasons [Ukrainians] choose to lease [Landkom] their land has nothing to do with money - it is an emotional desire to see their region go forward, that's all," says Paul Spinks.

Farming overseas is a global trend. So to find out more about this phenomenon, Mike Gallagher meets Andrew Hunter - a British farmer working vast landholdings in Hungary and Serbia.

Farm Radio International writer Gladson Makowa, visited a Malawian community where small-scale farmland was transformed into a sugarcane plantation. He reports on how locals are coping with the loss of farmland and hoping to keep their houses.

Slater reckons shortages of soft commodities and the likelihood of rising inflation make farmland an excellent investment, not least in Brazil where Agrifirma is located.

Japan is considering providing loans from a government-owned bank for companies to purchase and lease farmland abroad, Munemitsu Hirano, counsellor at the international affairs department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said.

Foreign investors have been given licenses to run cow farms across Kurdistan Region.