A massive New Zealand farm the size of Christchurch has been sold to a North American investment group.

Saudi ag minister says his government is positioning itself as a facilitator for the Saudi private sector, seeking land and agricultural investments, and providing funds, credit, and logistics.

The Hadzabe people of Tanzania are acquiring basic skills on how to survive in a globalised world, where investment in land translates into money.

If the Chinese government is to achieve its goal of accelerated urbanization, one issue it must deal with is food security. As China has developed more of its land, concerns have developed over whether enough arable land will be available to produce enough food to feed its massive population.

Commerce and Industry Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah has approved the establishment of a new East Asia Agricultural Development and Investment Company to invest in farming.

The Latvian government is planning restrictions on selling land to foreign investors. "We are not planning to restrict the purchase of agricultural land, but we do plan regulations to make sure that the land is used productively."

The proposal to limit foreign farmland ownership in South Africa to a leasehold of a minimum of 30 years is not a sign of antagonism to foreign investment, says Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti.

As PrimeAg Australia's $125 million sale of rural properties to US fund manager TIAA-CREF goes through, the question now being raised by investors is what will happen to the residual portfolio.

Tanzania Investment Centre in collaboration with the Prime Minister's Office and the Southern Agriculture Corridor of Tanzania Centre recently organized a conference under the theme 'Accelerating Tanzania's Agribusiness Investment' in Dar es Salaam.

From next month (January 2013), Tanzania will start restricting the size of land that single large-scale foreign and local investors can "lease" for agricultural use.

The Tanzanian government has agreed to put a ceiling with regard to what size of land a single large scale investor can be allocated for agriculture.

The Kingdom of Bahrain is seeking to conclude an agreement with the African Union Commission paving the way for the GCC bloc to ensure the food security by utilising the natural resources rich African continent.

The ethics complaint was filed by the Des Moines-based citizen group, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, for misusing his membership on the Iowa Board of Regents that oversees Iowa's public universities to advance an "African land grab".

The companies, which produce mainly soya, sugarcane, corn and cotton, were informed about the opportunities for investment in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT).

If there is an issue that is the pulse of popular discontent in Tanzania presently, then, it is land.

The African Agricultural Capital Fund, which is backed by USAID, Bill Gates and JP Morgan, has invested $1.2 million in NUAC, a company owned by several Danish partners that operates Uganda's largest farm.

China, the world's most populous country and biggest consumer of grain, should expand its farming overseas to ensure enough food for its people because of limited land and low productivity at home, agriculture experts said on Wednesday.

The craze in recent years for huge investments in bio energy and agribusiness in Tanzania has seen small poor farmers being dispossessed of their lands through tricky contracts and the false hope of making riches overnight.

The focus of this year's World Water Day is on water and food security, and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility launches a campaign to educate institutional investors on the impacts of large acquisitions of farmland in the global South.

Australian farmers have demanded an overhaul of foreign investment rules ahead of any attempt to harness Asian capital to boost the nation's food production.

Recently, the Federal Government of Nigeria signed a Joint Venture Agreement on Commercial Rice farming with Calvin Burgess, owner and principal promoter of the Oklahoma-based Dominion Farms Limited.

The amount of productive farmland being taken out of New Zealand hands each year has dropped off sharply in the past decade, figures show. But those opposed to overseas ownership of land say the best land has already been cherry-picked by foreign buyers who push prices up.

Right now, on the desks of Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) there is the background material for an application of credit guarantee for an 8000 ha sugar plantation and a refinery in Bagamoyo, Tanzania.

Under agreements with exporting countries in Africa, Europe and East Asia, GCC countries can cultivate large areas, which will pave the way for stabilizing food prices on the one hand, and reducing inflation on the other.

The 19th century had the Great Scramble for Africa, when developed nations raced for several decades to lay claim to new territories and their riches. This century may yet be known as the Great Selloff of Africa.

In Africa, the strategy is to buy land. But in Argentina, they are forming associations that allow them to grow crops and guarantee food supplies for their population.

The Finance Ministry and the National Bank of Bahrain have agreed to set up a $265.2m fund that will invest in companies and purchase land in overseas countries for captive production.

The relationship between landowners and land on which people are living is not so clear in Africa, so the first thing we have to do is to survey lands and clarify the ownership of the land, says Korean diplomat.

A massive land grab is unfolding on the African continent, mired in secrecy and spearheaded by hedge funds, financial speculators and foreign companies. South Sudan has become one of the latest frontiers for these investors.

The EU lured many multinational energy companies such as SBF to invest in renewable energies in developing countries such Tanzania where almost all projects are on the verge of collapse or shut down.