Archive for April, 2009

An African Landgrab In The Name Of Ethanol?

Via Mother Jones, an interesting (frightening?) report on a massive African ethanol project that would – if implemented – consume an enormous amount of agricultural land.  As the article notes: “Massingir is an unremarkable town. The electricity supply here in rural Mozambique is erratic, clean water is hard to come by, and the hotels—well, calling […]

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Jim Rogers’ Real Greenfield Opportunity

More from Jim Rogers on farm land: “…I am buying greenfield land in Brazil and existing farms in Canada and starting to farm it. The funds are clearing the land, fertilizing it, irrigating it and hiring farmers and some day will probably sell the land but that is a remote prospect.”

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Global Agriculture: No Longer ‘Cheap As Dirt’

Via Seeking Alpha, a very insightful article on the emerging shortage in fertile soil.  As the report notes: “Taking the long view, we are running out of dirt.”— David R. Montgomery, geologist Over the summer, Iran bought a large amount — more than a million tons — of wheat from the U.S. That’s something we’ve […]

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Jim Rogers: “Invest In Farms”

Via Value Plays, an interesting report on Jim Rogers’ views on real assets, particularly farming & agriculture.

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Higher Food Prices & Increasing Demographic Pressures = International Investment Interest in Farmland

Via The Economist, an interesting look at global agriculture and the increasing cross-border investment interest in farms, by Chinese and Middle Eastern firms to name a few.  As the article notes: “…At a time when much of the global economy is falling apart and demand both for consumer goods and the firms that make and […]

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About This Blog And Its Author
Seeds Of A Revolution is committed to defining the disruptive geopolitics of the global Farms Race.  Due to the convergence of a growing world population, increased water scarcity, and a decrease in arable land & nutrient-rich soil, a spike of international investment interest in agricultural is inevitable and apt to bring a heretofore domestic industry into a truly global realm.  Whether this transition involves global land leases or acquisitions, the fundamental need for food & the protectionist feelings this need can give rise to is highly likely to cause such transactions to move quickly into the geopolitical realm.  It is this disruptive change, and the potential for a global farms race, that Seeds Of A Revolution tracks, analyzes, and forecasts.

Educated at Yale University (Bachelor of Arts - History) and Harvard (Master in Public Policy - International Development), Monty Simus has long held a keen interest in natural resource policy and the geopolitical implications of anticipated stresses in the areas of freshwater scarcity, biodiversity reserves & parks, and farm land.  Monty has lived, worked, and traveled in more than forty countries spanning Africa, China, western Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Southeast & Central Asia, and his personal interests comprise economic development, policy, investment, technology, natural resources, and the environment, with a particular focus on globalization’s impact upon these subject areas.  Monty writes about freshwater scarcity issues at www.waterpolitics.com and frontier investment markets at www.wildcatsandblacksheep.com.