Against a backdrop of rising world wheat prices, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has chosen Kazakhstan as the destination for its first ever equity investment in farming.

For millions of indigenous villagers and pastoralists land grabbing means forced relocation, loss of livelihoods, and a death blow to their ancient cultures.

While agricultural land has the potential to provide a source of long term fixed income, the hurdles are enormous. Extreme illiquidity and sensitivity to geo-political risk mean that diversification of holdings and careful selection are key.

In yet another exposé of exploitative practices associated with large-scale land acquisitions, the Oakland Institute examines Socfin Agricultural Corporation Sierra Leone (Socfin), controlled by the powerful French corporate titan Vincent Bolloré

Macquarie Group's new farmland fund, which is targeting farms in Australia and Brazil, has purchased its first two properties in Australia worth a total of almost $40 million.

Romanian government considers setting up a land bank with priority in the acquisition of agricultural land to restrict the flow of foreign investments.

With foreign investment in agriculture already occurring in Australia, many within the agricultural industry believe we need to be wary.

The Aliansi Gerakan Reforma Agraria (AGRA), led the farmers of Pandan Lagan village to reclaim their lands in Jambi, Indonesia

The countries say that they now believe their farmers are not yet ready to compete on a free land market with foreign investors

The EBRD makes a US$45 million equity investment in KazExportAstyk, which controls 1m hectares of agricultural land in Kazakhstan – an area about the size of Denmark.

Water grabbing refers to situations where powerful actors take control of valuable water resources for their own benefit, depriving local communities whose livelihoods often depend on these resources and ecosystems.

At least 100 farmers led by members of the Asian Peasant Coalition joined a protest in the Philippines against global land grabbing, calling on governments in Asia to stop devoting their lands to the food security of other nations