Rising demand for agricultural commodities has led to a ‘land grab’ in some of the world’s poorest countries. The International Bar Associaiton assesses the legal implications and the prospects for the developing world.

In recent times the practice of land grabbing (which is intrinsically tied with water grabbing) has increased.

Given the power imbalances at play, it is folly to assume that land-seekers will suddenly embrace, en masse, a set of voluntary rules promoting sustainable and equitable investor practices, says Michael Kugelman

At least one person is being killed in an environmental dispute around the world each week as the battle for land, natural resources and forests becomes increasingly violent, a report said on Tuesday.

Fear of unrest and hunger for profit are sparking massive acquisitions of farmland.

Land deals, whether as direct purchases or long-term leases, are being brokered in poor countries by advanced capitalist countries and their TNCs

What is to be done? Obviously, we need an immediate moratorium on land grabs.

The increased need for cropland would result in “a race for prime spots”, especially in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa

The proposed joint venture would bring together irrigation techniques and integrating digital tools into farming and landscaping projects.

Beginning with an initial farm development in Senegal, African Agriculture, a United States-based Africa-focused company, has embarked on a journey to deliver protein to the world.

How can it be that finance centers in New York or Stockholm exercise control over lands in Northeastern Brazil?

Will the CSM get caught up in a hegemonic “land-grab trap” standing in for principles that turned out weak and entirely outside of their control?

Will FPIC ‘help’ or ‘hurt’ the cause of agrarian justice? The dilemmas and challenges of using FPIC are already surfacing and warrant closer attention.

The world's agricultural system is changing from one in which land is owned by farmers or communities and cultivated by farmers to one where corporations have the sole say in what gets cultivated where and who will profit.

How did this country turn from being one of the poorest post colonial states in the world to one of the largest land grabbers in recent years?

"All of a sudden the world is waking up and saying, 'Wow, emerging markets, food security... this asset class is going to really perform in the medium term -- the next 8-20 years,'" says new convert James Howard, manager of the Futuregrowth Agri-Fund

The overall message from the World Bank's study is deeply confusing, says Ian Scoones

Some of the world's biggest sugar players, including Brazil's Cosan, New York-listed Bunge and privately held US multinational Cargill, might join China in the race for CSR's sugar division

As land acquisition becomes increasingly borderless, new mechanisms and codes of conduct are required to govern the relationship between investors, governments and local communities.

The agribusiness managed investment scheme sector is not expected to escape the economic downturn that has hit the financial services industry.

Bloomberg exposé on Frank Timis' plan to turn Les Fermes de la Teranga (ex-Senhuile) into a major source of animal feed for the Gulf States and the implications for Dakar's water supply

Quienes actualmente controlan los flujos financieros del mundo no son capaces de apoyar a los productores de alimentos y a los sistemas alimentarios —que pueden combatir la crisis climática o las muchas otras crisis que afectan a la alimentación y a la agricultura. Nuestro desafío es lograr que tanto las tierras agrícolas como el dinero no sigan en sus manos, tan pronto como podamos.

Risk analysts show that operational cost increases can approach 2,800 percent; Myanmar is latest flashpoint in alarming trend

High temperatures have combined with the worst drought in half a century to wreak havoc on American farms and ranches. Some 80 percent of U.S. farm and pasture land experienced drought.

Major multinational companies including Nestlé and Cargill may be sourcing Nicaraguan beef from indigenous regions consumed by land grabs, settler occupation and mass deforestation.

The elite university has quietly become one of the largest owners of farmland in the world, according to a new report by GRAIN, an international nonprofit supporting small farmers, and Brazil-based Rede Social de Justiça e Direitos Humanos

Environmentalists in Río Negro say the Chinese arrival will mean heavy use of agrochemicals, ecological degradation and severe strain on the region's water resources. Some of the land in question is virgin forest that would be deforested.

Wilmar, which already owns 200,000 ha of sugar cane plantations in Indonesia, said it intended to use Sucrogen’s proven expertise in the sugar business to pursue growth strategies in “Indonesia and other high potential Asian markets.’’

Communities without economic power that live off of land to which they do not “own” are devastated when their government transfers the property rights to wealthy outside interests, who exploit the natural resources.

An influx of foreign funds seeking Australian farmland has pushed lawmakers to consider legislation that would increase scrutiny of overseas purchases after foreign ownership of land almost doubled since 1984.