Archive for May, 2009

Republic of Congo: Africa’s Promised (Agricultural) Land?

Via The Wall Street Journal, a report on the many farmers & corporations that are looking towards The Republic of the Congo as Africa’s Promised (agricultural) Land.  As the article notes: “…They’re scrambling to get on board an ambitious venture to reclaim farmland in Congo’s interior and help relieve that country of a reliance on […]

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United Nations: Africa Giving Land Away Almost For Free

As reported by The Financial Times, the United Nations thinks that African countries are giving away vast tracts of farmland to other countries and investors almost for free, with the only benefits consisting of vague promises of jobs and infrastructure.  As the article notes: “…Most of the land deals documented by this study involved no […]

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Pakistan To Increase Amount Of Farmland Open To Foreign Investors

Courtesy of Dawn Media, a report that Pakistan is planning to dramatically increase the amount of farmland open to foreign investors to six million acres, but will require outsiders to share half of their crop with local growers.  As the article notes: “…Crop sharing will defuse tensions with local farmers fearful of being crowded out […]

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Kenyan Plan To Lease Land to Qatar

Via Kenya’s Capital Business Journal, an article on Kenya’s plans to lease out about 100,000 acres of land to a Gulf state for agriculture at a time when the country is facing serious food shortages.  As the report notes: “…The deal with the government of Qatar is similar to a model that has been widely […]

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Outsourcing Food Production or Neocolonialism?

Via The Economist, an interesting look at the trend of rich food importers acquiring large tracts of poor countries’ farmland.  As the article notes: EARLY this year, the king of Saudi Arabia held a ceremony to receive a batch of rice, part of the first crop to be produced under something called the King Abdullah […]

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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.