Africa may not reap much from its riches

• The Star
• 14 May 2013

Africa is white hot with minerals and land deals in what could be the second scramble for Africa.

Policy brief: The role of European development finance institutions in land grabs

• Aprodev
• 13 May 2013

Aprodev commissioned research to investigate the involvement of European Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) in land grabs. The evidence shows that European DFIs are indeed involved in some land grabs, and there are real risks of being complicit in others in the future.

Deutsche Bank and IFC accused of bankrolling Vietnam firms' land grabs

• The Guardian
• 13 May 2013

Two Vietnamese firms bankrolled by Deutsche Bank and the International Finance Corporation – the World Bank's private lending arm – are leading a wave of land grabs in Cambodia and Laos, causing widespread evictions, illegal logging and food insecurity, according to a report.

Rubber barons - a Global Witness report

• Global Witness
• 12 May 2013

Rubber Barons shows how vast amounts of land have been acquired for rubber plantations in Cambodia and Laos by two of Vietnam's biggest largest companies, Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) and the Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG).

The global land grab: The new enclosures

• Wealth of the Commons
• 09 May 2013

Everywhere in Africa the story is more or less the same: communal rights are being grossly interfered with, farming systems upturned, livelihoods decimated, and water use and environments changed in ways which are dubiously sustainable.

Liberia's next big war

• FrontPageAfrica
• 09 May 2013

Liberia's silent land war has now become a war of words and placards with tension brewing daily either between individuals and families or companies and tribes or clans.

Full Planet, Empty Plates: Chapter 2. The Ecology of Population Growth

• 09 May 2013

The most recent U.N. demographic projections show world population growing to 9.3 billion by 2050, an addition of 2.3 billion people. Most people think these demographic projections, like most of those made over the last half-century, will in fact materialize. But this is unlikely, given the difficulties in expanding the food supply, such as those posed by spreading water shortages and global warming. We are fast outgrowing the earth’s capacity to sustain our increasing numbers.

Ethnic activists warn of surge in land grabs after ceasefires

• Irrawaddy
• 09 May 2013

About 40 ethnic activist groups are calling on the government, ethnic militias and the international community to address a surge in land-grabbing, as companies move into Burma’s ethnic regions following recent ceasefire agreements.

BMI: Saudi Arabia Agribusiness Report (Apr-13)

• Zawya
• 07 May 2013

A consortium of Saudi groups - comprising dairy giant Almarai, grain importer Al Rajhi and Salic, the agriculture arm of the country's sovereign wealth fund - agreed to pay US $92mn to acquire Continental Farmers Group located in northern Poland and western Ukraine

Maharashtra’s sugar cooperatives seek to expand in Africa

• Live Mint
• 07 May 2013

Governments in African countries lease out land at low rates, which makes it attractive to investors

Africa is 'the Brazil of the 1970s' in agriculture

• Agrimoney
• 07 May 2013

Savills, the UK property consultancy, believes sub-Saharan Africa, in agriculture, is the Brazil of the 1970s but warns against investments in farms of over 5,000 ha because of land ownership sensitivities.

Olam Moçambique announces “large investments” for next four years

• Macauhub
• 07 May 2013

Olam is putting together an investment plan for the areas of agricultural production and food distribution, which could equal the amount of investment made since it started operating in Mozambique.