Imperialism today is no longer conducted by nation-states but, instead, by multi-national corporations but the essence of the saga is unchanged: A poor continent is being raped by powerful, wealthy Westerners.

Filipino firm SL Agritech Corp. and Brunei firm Four Bays Iman Sdn Bhd (FISB) have tied up for a 20,000 ha hybrid rice plantation in Mindanao.

A multi-million dollar “ethical” plantation development in northwestern Mozambique - the initiative of a clutch of Scandinavian faith-based organizations - has faced alleged acts of sabotage by the very people it was designed to assist, illustrating the divisions between foreign benefactors and local communities.

Investment managers meeting at the Waldorf Astoria in New York said rising US farmland prices were making it harder to find quality land and high returns, and a lot of capital flow is moving to developing nations.

Senator believes a revision of foreign investment rules must adequately consider the changing nature of national sovereignty, in the face of a mounting global food security task.

The Canadian–based businessman has increased his Marion County land holdings in the past two years nearly sixfold, making him the largest private property owner in the county with 29,000 acres.

New fund reflects desire in Beijing to acquire real assets, including agricultural lands, say analysts.

Within agriculture, conflicts revolve around land and water sources ownership and use. The case of Karatu Kiru valley sugarcane farming where one of the investors was killed by local community on May 31, 2011 serves as an illustration

GRAIN says the World Bank's much anticipated report on the global farmland grab is both a disappointment and a failure.

Under the new policy, foreign land ownership would be tied to “productivity and partnership models with South African citizens,” minister Gugile Nkwinti told parliament.

The 450 civil society organisations taking part in a parallel forum were not won over by FAO's optimism about a code of conduct. "Land grabbing by external capital must stop," read a declaration by participants at the forum.

An internal document recently posted on IRRI's website reveals that the Institute has been advising Saudi Arabia in the context of its strategy to acquire farm land overseas for its own food production.

Big purchases of African land by richer countries in a drive for food security could fuel unrest if the rights of local farmers are not taken into consideration, a land rights campaigner warned on Wednesday.

The UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization is expanding its Abu Dhabi office tenfold to broker deals with farmers in such areas as the Horn of Africa.

Inflation and the spectre of long-term food shortages have prompted the UAE Government to consider a new strategic investment – the purchase of large-scale farms in Pakistan and other countries.

Investigation into the controversial palm oil sector in Liberia, the role of Dutch finance and impacts on local communities

Norfund reports losses of over $23 million on its investments in the UK company Agrica and its large-scale rice plantation in the Kilombero Valley of Tanzania.

Abraaj Capital, the PE firm that was very active in the rush to buy global farmland after the food financial crises of 2008, has collapsed and is under investigation for “mismanagement, comingling of funds and misappropriation of assets"

A land measuring and titling campaign launched and financed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen lacks transparency and accountability and could leave thousands dispossessed from their land.

In debate over large scale investments in agriculture in Australia, there are some broader issues about foreign investment that don’t seem to get talked about enough.

Michael Burry, the former hedge-fund manager who predicted the US housing market’s plunge, said he is investing in farmland. “I believe that agriculture land -- productive agricultural land with water on site -- will be very valuable in the future.”

Southern Pastures, registered in Auckland, is seeking $500 million from local and offshore investors to initially buy outright, or controlling shares in, farming concerns throughout the southern hemisphere, but with a bias towards New Zealand.

Bloomberg's Big Take podcast looks at an investigation into allegations of sexual coercion at plantations run by Socfin, a rubber company supplying top tiremakers.

Harvard's portfolio is still vast, including farms in Australia, South Africa and Brazil, as well as vineyards in California and timberland in Eastern Europe and throughout Central and South America, according to tax documents and other filings.

Harvard bet the farm in Brazil and lost. The university, which invested at least $150 million in a mega farm project in country's northeast, is now exiting, according to people familiar with the matter.

The notorious reluctance of Australian superannuation funds to invest in agriculture because of perceptions it is too risky, volatile and low-return may be slowly changing, according to key farm and food industry players.

Chinnakannan Sivasankaran, “one of the world’s largest farmland holders”, allegedly used bankruptcy for fun and profit.

Human rights advocates criticize the bank for failing to speak up about the jailing of a former employee in Ethiopia and two other environmental defenders

AGCO CEO says his company is planning to have a second “future farm” in Nigeria because it’s also a very big market. AGCO's first "future farm' is in Zambia.

Serge Fortin, chief executive of Canadian farmland investment company Pangea, believes Quebec's small farms must be replaced by larger farms to survive