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).

The recent increasing land acquisitions by transnational corporations (TNCs) is causing conflicts among farmers, pastoralists and other land users in Ghana, and have the potential of leading to the loss of arable land by smallholders, reveals a study.

"Today, all patriotic Africans are weeping when they see how African governments are giving out African lands, dispossessing the African people of their ancestral land, for practically next to nothing, in the name of attracting foreign investors!", writes Abba Mahmood

De puissants investisseurs étrangers trustent les meilleurs champs des pays du Sud. Néocolonialisme ou développement agricole ? Dossier préparé par le collectif Terra Project et publié par GEO France.

Mit perfiden Methoden eignen sich Einzelpersonen oder Unternehmen Land an. Betroffen ist inzwischen eine Fläche halb so groß wie Westeuropa. Die Investoren tun dabei so, als handelten sie aus hehren Motiven. Auch Deutsche sind beteiligt.

L’accaparramento di terre sta diventando una iattura per troppi Paesi africani.

The land grab phenomenon in Sudan...resembles a fata morgana, a mirage in the desert which completely distorts the object on which it is based

Pervertissant la vision classique du rapport de pouvoir public/privé, certains pays africains ont repris à leur compte le slogan d’un journal de l’Europe de l’Est lors d’une visite du Chancelier allemand en 1999 : "Nous pardonnons aux Croisés et attendons les investisseurs".

The European Report on Development 2011/12 covered the nexus between water, energy and land, with several commissioned papers on land grabbing.

India is among the top 10 nations to acquire land in both domestic and transnational deals, according to a report released this month by the Washington-based World Watch Institute

International development and environment charities to protest against 'land grab' outside Agriculture Investment Summit

It is an issue that goes to the heart of the debate around large-scale land projects in Africa – whether foreign investment can be used to aid badly needed development rather than being deemed exploitative.

Part 2 of a report from the US-based National Public Radio on landgrabbing in Africa, highlighting the case of Mozambique

NPR takes a closer look at the reality behind the rhetoric, and went to Mozambique, a hot spot in the global rush for land.

Special issue of Water Alternatives

Obama announces G8's New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition and reiterates support for the "process and pilot use of the Principles of Responsible Agricultural Investment"

The world’s governments approved new guidelines for rules on land use on Friday to protect the poor and fight hunger, but aid groups said they were too weak to stop large-scale land grabs by big business in underdeveloped countries.

African governments are bringing agriculture schemes to international investors in the hope of matching investors to fertile soils

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are among the top four countries on a massive investment spree to acquire agricultural resources.

Responding to concerns raised by Friends of the Earth International and others about the impacts of land grabbing, The World Bank claims that land lease deals in developing countries can reduce hunger and poverty, and build sustainable agriculture. The facts tell otherwise.

Dalla Al Baraka, a Saudi conglomerate with $5 billion in annual revenue, has acquired two million acres of farmland in eastern Sudan to produce food for export to the Middle Eastern kingdom. While the investors are hoping to wean Saudi Arabia off imports from South America, such agreements cause concern among local Sudanese farmers.

Exploring the fundamental data flaws in the Land Matrix dataset

While Africa may have celebrated the demise of colonialism, it seems the continent is sliding back to those days, as investors continue to push murky land deals.

Governments in the global south are claiming farmland is 'empty' and 'unused' – and flogging it off to foreigners who promise investment. The June summit in Rio needs to call a halt to this.

The UN has proposed that countries set limits on the size of agriculture land sales to regulate the growing trend of so-called farmland grabs.

Within a few years, acquisition of foreign farmland has become an issue with plenty of explosive potential for the environment and security.

CAADP report urges African ministers to pursue incentives to ease private investments in agriculture without undermining national sovereignty in areas such as land and water acquisition.

In Uganda it is the top leadership that initiates the land grabs for global land thieves. Whole communities are being displaced and scattered.

Despite decades of anti-colonial civilian resistance in Africa, a pernicious movement of land acquisition is overtaking the continent at a rate unprecedented since the conquests of the 19th Century.

Gaia Vince reviews "The Land Grabbers", a new book by Fred Pearce