Why Corporations, Emerging Powers and Petro-States Are Snapping Up Huge Chunks of Farmland...

Why Corporations, Emerging Powers and Petro-States Are Snapping Up Huge Chunks of Farmland in the Developing World

www.alternet.org

In the past six months, big players in the global economy have grabbed 50 million acres of arable land, from Africa to Southeast Asia.

The bubble money has now moved on from housing and turned to the commodities markets, especially global food production. Given what that money did to the housing market, things don't look good for local communities whose land is being bought up by governments, sovereign wealth and hedge funds, and other investors on the hunt for real value...

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Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
U.S. government to criminalize organic farming? HR 875 and S 245

[edit on 11-8-2009 by Animal]

It's no wonder: The economic valuation of land and water has increased in concurrence with both price commodities and the ravages of climate change, whose droughts, wildfires and other extreme environmental events are quickly shrinking what's left of the planet's arable land and clean water.

"These investments are effectively land grabs for a number of reasons," he told AlterNet by phone. "They're going to be used to grow crops for exports. They're taking arable land out of the domestic food supply. Most of these deals are totally secret, and there are no standards of access to public information. We're also concerned about places with weak legal systems, where farmers and pastoralists won't even know these lands are being sold from beneath them. Some don't even have formal land-titling systems, so this is going to push people off the land and take away their access to food."

This is disturbing for two key reasons as I see it.

First, this is the type of economic behavior that leads to bubbles in markets. The housing market has wreaked havoc on the USA and I shudder to imagine what a 'food bubble' would be like. Looking beyond the USA this economic vulturism will undoubtedly do untold damage to already weak economies and social systems in the 2nd and 3rd world locations where these land grabs are taking place.

The second reason this scares me it the amassing of control of the food supply that we have seen the agro-corporation achieve int he last 60-70 years. Already they own the rights to a large percentage of seed stock, through pollination they are also claiming the titles to family heirloom seed stock as well. Now we see a major grab for a massive amount of arable land which in conjunction with the rights to seeds (which thanks to technologies like terminator techs the seeds are only viable for one season) food sovereignty and security is a quickly vanishing reality.

This also reminds me of the thread already here on ats about HR 875 and S 245. Scary stuff folks.
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www.alternet.org
(visit the link for the full news article)

Yep this is what I am going to do.

I am going to find some out of the way place here in Canada to grow a good sized garden.

I hope to have at least a year or two to accomplish this.

Farmland will always be important. Their is a reason Russian troops are available for seed time and harvest in Russia.

Amazing how this became buried with all the distractions as of late.

It's amazing how much they want us angry at each other so we don't notice things like this.

great find!

Good find.

These people are disgusting. To take land away from people that they could use to grow food to feed themselves and use it to grow food that will be used as fuel is unethical and reprehensible. I hope that more people that are having their land sold out from under them will follow Madagascar's example and put a stop to it.

Originally posted by HunkaHunka
Amazing how this became buried with all the distractions as of late.

It's amazing how much they want us angry at each other so we don't notice things like this.

Yes !! It is all about Health Care ! (not)

A couple of things come to mind....

1 - Follow the money. (yes, so cliche') But the money flow will always tell you the truth.

2 - There is alot less "money" nowadays. Know what I mean? This is a mad scramble to cover the "mad money" losses. (a direct jab at Cramer)


Economies and funds everywhere are looking for safer bets. Not so much to make money, but more for covering unsafe arena's to play in. There has been a global loss that will not be recovered soon. The DOW will be around 12k by the end of the year, but the "mad money" seeks better security pending constant re-legislation.