India

About 900 million hectares of arable land are not properly utilised for agriculture in Africa's rich soil, says Indian Minister of Industry, Commerce and Textile, Mr Anand Sharma.

Saudi Arabia is reducing grain production to reduce unsustainable use of groundwater and encouraging companies to lease tracts of land in Africa for growing, a new UN report on water says.

In the run up to Rio+20, the United Nation Environment Programme Foresight Panel has flagged the adverse impact of the "new land rush" as a cause of concern.

The government has decided to throw its might behind private purchases of farm land overseas to ensure food security for India.

The Indian government has no plans to buy farmland abroad or help private companies do so, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said on Monday, after a local media report said New Delhi was debating the issue.

“I wouldn’t define it as land grabbing. We exploit the economic opportunities which came about after the food price shock of 2007,” says Birinder Singh, the manager of Karuturi Agro Products. BBC slideshow.

According to Rana Kapoor, head of India's Yes Bank, Africa offers immense opportunity in terms of investment in large-scale commercial farming, quoting rates of return of 18-21% and above.

Thousands of residents of Amuru District community, in Uganda, could soon lose their land after Gulu High Court ruled that over 40,000 hectares be given to Madhvani Group of companies to grow sugarcane.

Gilles van Kote, envoyé spécial du Monde, et Jiro Ose, photographe japonais basé à Addis-Abeba, se sont rendus dans la région de Gambela, à la pointe occidentale de l'Ethiopie, pour enquêter sur le phénomène de location de terres.

Channel4News Jonathan Rugman has special report from Ethiopia on the revolution in agricultural production - but small tenant farmers say they now have less food to eat than before the changes began.

Investment by Indian-owned Karuturi Global has raised questions about whether Ethiopia is literally giving away the farm, or conversely, launching a 'green revolution' to help Ethiopia feed itself.

Joining the neo-colonial bandwagon, Indian companies are taking over agricultural land in African nations and exporting produced food at the cost of locals