Archive for February, 2011

21st Century African Land Rush

Courtesy of The Financial Times, an interesting graphic on the 21st Century African land rush:

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Farmland Derivatives And Alternative Food Security Investments

Via The Emirates’ National newspaper, an interesting article focusing on farmland derivatives and alternative food security investments: “…Food security is back on the agenda with a bang, but while countries with money but little land want to invest elsewhere, few efforts are as emotive as a global “land grab”. The political risk involved makes such […]

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Global Land Grab: Small Farmers Are Not Inefficient

Via The Guardian, an article suggesting that – since land is now one of the hottest commodities in the world market – it is time to stand up for small farmers often dismissed as ‘inefficient”.  As the report notes: “NGOs don’t mobilise people, desperation mobilises people,” said a Cambodian land activist as he related the […]

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Africa: Selling The Farm?

Courtesy of The Christian Science Monitor, a detailed look at foreign investors who see Africa as a breadbasket.  As the article notes: “…In March 2009, civilian protesters led by a baby-faced former disc jockey swarmed through the streets of this hilly capital city. They were calling for the ouster of then-President Marc Ravalomanana for what […]

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Mali: One Of The Countries Most Affected By The Scramble For Land

Via China Dialogue, a report detailing the race by foreign companies are snap up the best fertile land in the food-insecure country of Mali and what this means for local subsistence farmers, who fear the loss of their fields, crops and water.  As the article notes: A new complex of government offices on the banks […]

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The Small Print Behind Big Land Grabs

Courtesy of The Guardian, an interesting report on the contracts behind the purchase of millions of hectares of African farmland.  As the article notes: “…Invest in land, goes the old saw, they’re not making it any more. And, as we have reported, many rich countries and companies are doing just that in the developing world. […]

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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.