Investment in Australia’s agricultural land has soared to $4.6 billion, with the bulk of that coming from the US.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board has decided against making further investments in farmland and is open to selling its existing portfolio, a shift in strategy after some local farmers voiced concerns.

A coalition of environmental, human rights and family farm organizations delivered a letter with over 100,000 signatures to pension fund management company TIAA, expressing concerns over the company’s investments in farmland and palm oil.

Last year, a total of 466,000ha was sold to offshore buyers with Overseas Investment Office approval - a five-fold increase on the previous year.

UNECA coordinator says the way land investment has taken place in Africa has had unintended consequences of pushing people off the land, while the land has not been used for production.

Economic Commission for Africa and African Union representatives agree on the need for agricultural investment models that minimize land transfers and lead to shared prosperity at local and national levels.

Russia's farmland market remains attractive to investors, both foreign and domestic, despite the apparent snub presented by Black Earth Farming's decision to quit, with prices soaring by up to 60% last year.

Unprocessed Lao farm products raised and grown by Vietnamese investors in the 10 Lao provinces that share a border with Vietnam will enjoy tariff and value-added tax exemptions when exported to Vietnam.

Cambodia has agreed for a China-based firm to invest $100 million in freshwater and seawater aquaculture projects to supply fish for local demand and export, beginning with a pilot zone to grow tilapia fish in 200 hectares of ponds before investing in 2,000 hectares.

Now and into 2017 agribusiness is being promoted as the next big thing, with increasing market activity, resulting in land and asset values accelerating at a greater rate towards a peak as local and international demand increases.

The Agric Minister-designate of Ghana says the sector under the current administration will pursue foreign investments in a bid to increase production.

In India, of the almost 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres) of land acquired for SEZs in the last five years, only 362 hectares have been used for their intended purpose, according to SEZ Farmers' Protection Welfare Association despite farmers have been devastated by the loss of their land.

Last week a Saudi delegation has requested 100,000 hectares to invest in alfalfa plant (livestock food) integrated project and in livestock processing.

KLK announce withdraws from customary land in Collingwood Bay, but has not clarified overall plans for its total land bank of 44,342 ha in the region or its 37,000 ha plantation deal in Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.

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.

A worrying number of land grabs in developing countries involve European companies or are backed by European money – from banks, equity and pension funds, for instance.

Investing in agroecology requires a drastically different model than the agribusiness-led version many Governments are currently pursuing

Since the day it was released, the accuracy of the Australian government’s Foreign Owned Agricultural Land Register has come into question, with rural industry stakeholders disputing the amount of land actually held by Chinese interests

In its second swoop on prime northern NSW cattle country this year, Chinese-owned pastoral business, Rifa Salutary, has snapped up another two aggregations for an estimated $55 million.

A Dutch-run flower farm in northern Ethiopia was among a series of foreign-owned plantations attacked by anti-government protesters as unrest in the country spreads.

Tasmanian senator says she will grill officials when they front Senate Estimates later this year over FIRB's history of approving foreign farm and asset purchases against the national interest.

Shanghai Zhongfu-owned Kimberley Agricultural Investments is the new owner of Carlton Hill and Ivanhoe, which operate as one station on the doorstep of Kununurra.

A growing number of governments have been criminalising the activities of land and human rights activists and putting restrictions on non-governmental groups.

Offshore companies control 1.1 million hectares of rural land in Argentina. The government recently amended the Land Law by decree in order to promote further foreign investments in farmland.

This report describes the Addax Bioenergy Project in Makeni, Sierra Leone. It covers the period of July 2014 to June 2015 when Addax was still operational as well as the period of July 2015 to June 2016 when Addax scaled down its operations.

Duncan Pruett reflects on the last 5 years at work advocating on the issues of land rights and foreign investments in agriculture.

"Money is still being pumped into the sector almost regardless of geography," says director of Primer International.

While there is near consensus that foreigners should not have the right to own farmland in Kazakhstan, opinions are deeply divided on the issue of granting leases to foreigners.

Wall Street remains enamored with US and international farmland, speakers at a Farm Foundation meeting in Louisville said last week.

While 'food security-driven land grabbing' has subsided in recent years, 'plain old profit-driven agribusiness expansion is now the dominant agenda'.