Africa Horn Now

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Africa Horn Now

Archives for November 2014

THE NEW SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA?

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The past decade has seen a huge rush to acquire land, a phenomenon that some have dubbed “The Great African Land Robbery.” These acquisitions are motivated by rising food and fuel prices, anticipated commodity and resource scarcities, and new incentives for financial speculation. As reports of climate change and ecological devastation multiply, the hunt for land and access to … [Read more...] about THE NEW SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA?

INSIDE THE AFRICAN LAND RUSH

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David Ralph: Rattling as if it might come away from the dirt-spattered ceiling at any moment to decapitate us all, a fan hacked at the heavy air in the lobby of the Econo Lodge in Dar es Salaam. ‘No soliciting’ said a sign on the wall beside the reception desk. ‘Immoral turpitude is forbidden’ said another. I had checked-in the previous night, and now a dozen or so of my … [Read more...] about INSIDE THE AFRICAN LAND RUSH

LAND GRABS AND RESPONSIBLE AGRICULTURAL INVESTMENT IN AFRICA

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Timothy A. Wise: Can land grabs by foreign investors in developing countries feed the hungry? So says the press release for a recent, and unfortunate, economic study. It comes just as civil society and government delegates gather in Rome [in August 2014] to negotiate guidelines for “responsible agricultural investment” (RAI), and as President Obama welcomes African leaders … [Read more...] about LAND GRABS AND RESPONSIBLE AGRICULTURAL INVESTMENT IN AFRICA

THE ART OF PUSHING FARMERS OFF THEIR LAND

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Liz Alden Wily: Up to 90% of sub-Saharan Africa's land area is currently untitled. Without legal owners, this land falls to the state, which makes it easy to lease to foreign investors. There is rarely anything illegal about African governments selling off large chunks of land to local or international investors. Frankly, investors wouldn't get involved if domestic and … [Read more...] about THE ART OF PUSHING FARMERS OFF THEIR LAND

INDIAN LAND GRAB IN AFRICA

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Sputnik Kilambi: The rise of China and India in Africa has important implications for the continent’s development. While the two Asian giants provide a much needed alternative to the old and until now sole paradigm of dependence on the West, both countries are accused of being part of the global land grabbing club. Many African governments are complicit in this wholesale … [Read more...] about INDIAN LAND GRAB IN AFRICA

THE GREEN GREEN GOLD OF ETHIOPIA

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Graham Peebles: Ancestral land that for generations has served as home and livelihood for hundreds of thousands of indigenous people in Ethiopia is being leased out, on 99-year renewable contracts at nominal sums to foreign corporations. The land giveaway or agrarian reforms as the government would prefer to present them began in 2008 when the Ethiopian government, under the … [Read more...] about THE GREEN GREEN GOLD OF ETHIOPIA

THIS LAND IS MY LAND!

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Obang Metho: Land, Water and Resource-Grabbing and Its Impact on Food Security in Africa Editor's note: Obang spoke about the Land, Water and Resource-Grabbing and Its Impact on Food Security in Africa at the 1st Africa Congress on Effective Cooperation for a Green Africa held in Bremerhaven, Germany, September 12-15 2012. This article is an abridged version of the … [Read more...] about THIS LAND IS MY LAND!

THE AFRICAN JOB

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Meet The Millionaires and Billionaires Suddenly Buying Tons of Land In Africa Oakland Institute just completed the most thorough investigative report on who's buying land in Africa we've seen yet: "Hedge Funds Grabbing Land in Africa," as BBC called it. As commodities prices rise and inflation picks up, the OI made the report public, they say, because the number of … [Read more...] about THE AFRICAN JOB

A QUICK TOUR OF THE WORLD’S FARMLAND MARKETS

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  Farmland prices have been driven by a rising demand for land with some sovereings looking to secure their food supply and investors looking to diversify their portfolios. Developing nations often perceive this sort of investing to be land grabbing and countries like Brazil have moved to restrict ownership. Economists like Robert Shiller even believe farmland could be … [Read more...] about A QUICK TOUR OF THE WORLD’S FARMLAND MARKETS