UAE agriculture tech start-up secures $120 million investment commitment

Wafra International, an investment firm owned by the Kuwait state pension agency, is investing $10 million of the new funding in Pure Harvest Smart Farms, and committing $100 million in equity and project financing.

06 Apr 2020 Reuters

Over $131 billion assets under management in food & ag sector, new GAI Rankings Report finds

The GAI Rankings Report highlights the significance of capital being raised and deployed to pursue farmland investments, confirming more than 50 million acres globally under management and $51.5 billion in assets under management.

06 Apr 2020 HighQuest

Land seizures and COVID-19: the twin threats to Brazil’s indigenous peoples

While the COVID-19 pandemic threatens the health of Indigenous peoples in Brazil’s Amazon, pressure over their traditional lands is increasing as grileiros –individuals who illegally seize land – sense an opportunity to exploit the crisis.

04 Apr 2020 Reuters

Uganda: Land rights defenders charged with criminal trespass, released on police bond

Soldiers protecting a Kiryandongo Sugar tractor arrested and beat a farmer for attempting to stop the tractor from ploughing up his 4 acre maize farm.

03 Apr 2020 witnessradio.org

Lao villagers lose farmland to Chinese banana grower

Villagers in Laos say a Chinese-owned banana plantation has unfairly acquired the land of 46 families in the northern part of the country, many of whom were coerced by authorities into selling for a miniscule compensation package.

03 Apr 2020 Radio Free Asia

Unravelling the Socfin/Bolloré plantations, thanks to Profundo

To help share Profundo's report more widely, we made two infographics from it on the ownership structure of the plantations and who benefits from the revenues they generate.

02 Apr 2020 GRAIN

Décryptage des plantations Socfin/Bolloré, grâce à Profundo

Pour aider à partager plus largement le rapport de Profundo, nous en avons tiré deux infographies sur la structure de propriété des plantations et qui bénéficie des revenus qui en découlent

02 Apr 2020 GRAIN

Cono Sur de América Latina: Mucha tierra en pocas manos

En el Cono Sur se desarrolla una reforma agraria, pero al revés: donde unos pocos tienen mucho y donde muchos no tienen casi nada. Es la situación de la tierra en Argentina, Brasil, Bolivia, Paraguay y Uruguay.

01 Apr 2020 Agencia de Noticias Biodiversidadla.org

Ukraine passes IMF-backed land reform bill, social cuts as coronavirus spreads

A law to privatise farmland, ultimately for the benefit of global finance and agribusiness, was pushed through Parliament under pressure from the IMF in the context of the coronavirus crisis.

01 Apr 2020 World Socialist

Cameroon women denounce "destruction" of forests and community by agribusiness giants

The campaign against Cameroon’s agribusiness titans was reenergised in March after women living near several controversial plantations denounced the loss of community lands and rights, and the destruction of native forests.

01 Apr 2020 Earthsight

L’Ukraine lève le moratoire sur la vente des terres agricoles contre l’aide du FMI

Dans la nuit du 30 au 31 mars 2020, la Rada a voté la levée du moratoire sur la vente des terres agricoles afin que l’Ukraine puisse potentiellement recevoir une nouvelle tranche d’aide financière du FMI et éviter le défaut de paiement.

31 Mar 2020 Donbass Insider

Report from World Bank/IFC's Compliance Advisory Ombudsman on the case of Salala Rubber Corporation

SOCFIN's subsidiary, the Salala Rubber Corporation, rejects dispute resolution with 22 communities in Liberia who filed a complaint with the IFC's Compliance Advisory Ombudsman, citing concerns with the "partiality of CAO’s team".

31 Mar 2020 IFC/CAO

Australia: Foreigners face extra FIRB hurdles buying farms during virus emergency

Foreign buyers stepping into the rural property or agribusiness sector will have to negotiate new regulatory hurdles aimed at preventing a rush of opportunistic offshore-based takeovers during the coronavirus emergency.

31 Mar 2020 Register

Two MPs block signing of Ukrainian farmland market bill

Two Ukrainian legislators have blocked the signing of the law lifting the long-standing ban on farmland sales, which was voted overnight Tuesday in a bid to unblock IMF funding.

31 Mar 2020 UNIAN

Ukraine opens up land market in bid for $8 billion IMF package

Ukrainian lawmakers voted on Tuesday to lift a ban on the sale of farmland that has stood for nearly two decades, clearing one of the hurdles needed to unlock an $8 billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund.

31 Mar 2020 Reuters

La finalisation du rapport d’investigation sur le conflit foncier de Malen : une étape constructive vers la résolution du conflit

FIAN Belgium salue la finalisation du Rapport d’investigation du Comité technique, qui conclut la phase d’investigation du processus de résolution du conflit foncier dans la chefferie de Malen en Sierra Leone, impliquant la multinationale d’huile de palme SOCFIN.

31 Mar 2020 FIAN Belgium

L'Ukraine adopte une réforme foncière "historique" pour obtenir l'aide du FMI

Le parlement ukrainien a définitivement voté dans la nuit de lundi à mardi une loi autorisant la vente de ses fertiles terres agricoles, notamment à leurs exploitants, une condition clé pour le déblocage d'une aide financière du FMI.

31 Mar 2020 Belga

Interview with Mrs Marie Noelle ETONDE, SYNAPARCAM (Cameroun)

In Cameroon, women are the ones who bring food home, and when there is enough, we sell it. The income allows us to meet other needs. Today, we no longer have this possibility because of the agro-industries, like SOCAPALM

30 Mar 2020 Landcam

Ukraine's land market bill: amended draft limits purchases to 100 ha per buyer

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Office says they have amended the farmland market bill to limit land purchases per person to 100 ha and delay allowing legal entities to purchase lands of up to 10,000 ha until 2024

30 Mar 2020 UNIAN

As COVID-19 crisis rages, 119 groups from 30 countries push urgent demands for rural peoples

Statement makes five demands to protect the rights of rural people amid the pandemic, including no further displacements of people from their lands under the pretext of COVID-19 lockdowns.

30 Mar 2020 PCFS Global

L’Ukraine craint la faillite du pays, dont l’économie va plonger

Kiev pourrait tomber en défaut de paiement si le gouvernement ne reçoit pas une aide financière du Fonds monétaire international pour laquelle la privatisation des terres agricoles est exigée

30 Mar 2020 Capital.fr

Position statement by women living in the vicinity of agro-industries on the respect of their land rights

Women living in the vicinity of eight agro-industrial plantations in Cameroon - HEVECAM, SUDCAM, SOCAPALM, PHP, BIOPALM, SEMRY, RUBBERCAM and SOSUCAM - gathered to discuss the impacts of agro-industrial plantations on women's land rights.

30 Mar 2020 LandCam

Kidnapping, torture, and stolen land: The brutal reality of Ethiopia's new sugar wars

Ethiopia's Mursi tribe says they were imprisoned and tortured to protect Chinese sugar plantations.

27 Mar 2020 VICE

Agribusiness : la BERD accorde un prêt aux unités de production oléicole d'Al Dahra Maroc

Deux filiales de l'émirati Al Dahra Holding bénéficieront d'un prêt de 5 millions d'euros de La Banque européenne pour la reconstruction et le développement pour faire de l'huile d'olive pour l'exportation (1 214 ha)

27 Mar 2020 La Tribune Afrique

Uganda: Multinationals are using violence as a weapon in the Covid-19 lockdown to dispossess communities

As Uganda begins a 32 day COVID – 19 lockdown, multinational companies dispossessing more than 35000 natives off their land, have resorted to the use of violence to grab land for poor communities.

26 Mar 2020 witnessradio.org

Création d'une pépinière d'entreprises à l'agropole de Kara au Togo

Le Togo va lancer une pépinière d’entreprises dans l’agropole de 165 000 ha situé dans le bassin de la Kara, au nord-est du pays

25 Mar 2020 Commodafrica

Palm oil giant Olam under scrutiny again over Gabon plantations

The World Rainforest Movement (WRM) has accused Singapore-based agribusiness company Olam of making meaningless “zero deforestation” pledges about a major oil palm development in Gabon and neglecting the rights of local communities.

25 Mar 2020 Mongabay

IMF in talks to increase its assistance to Ukraine to $9.5bn

The IMF is said to be making the passage of a law to privatise farmland a condition for emergency assistance to Ukraine to help it cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

25 Mar 2020 Intellinews

New player starts clearing rainforest in world’s biggest oil palm project

The Digoel Agri Group has begun operating in an Indonesia mega project being fought over by investors from around the world earmarked to become the world’s largest oil palm plantation, in a vast project that has been mired in allegations of lawbreaking.

24 Mar 2020 The Gecko Project

Rapport du Comité technique sur le différend foncier de la chefferie de Malen dans le district de Pujehun

Le mandat du comité était d’enquêter et d’émettre des recommandations qui résoudraient le conflit entre les propriétaires fonciers, le conseil de la chefferie et la SOCFIN Agricultural Company au Sierra Léone

23 Mar 2020 CGLTE