Archive for September, 2012

The Hunger Grains

Via Oxfam, a summary of a new report that strongly suggests EU biofuel mandates should be scrapped: The report shows how concerns about land and food rights around the world, both major campaigning priorities for Oxfam, are closely linked to EU biofuel mandates. In 2009, EU governments committed to sourcing 10 per cent of transport […]

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Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist: Betting On Pakistan

Via the San Francisco Examiner, an interesting article on Tim Draper’s Pakistani investments: On the anniversary of 9/11, terrorism theorists may be surprised to learn that the smart money is on Pakistani agriculture. Local private equity kingpin Tim Draper, a renowned, international venture capitalist, is quietly investing in Pakistani agribusiness, one of the biggest providers […]

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Africa’s Land-Grab Disaster In Waiting

Via Kenya’s the Star, an article on the impact of the global land “grab”: A new report by Oxfam, a leading international relief agency, warns that climate change will increase the frequency of large spikes in global food prices, leading to more hungry people around the world. Besides climate change, rapid population growth, higher per […]

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The Great Land Rush

Via Future Challenges, a look at what they call the Great Land Rush: Rising populations and the development of biofuels are increasing demand for arable land all over the world, and Arrianna Marie Conerly Coleman says that small farmers are the first to suffer Land means different things to different people. While an economist might […]

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Hungry For Investment

Courtesy of the Wall Street Journal, a look at how the private sector can drive agricultural development in nations that need it most: Severe droughts, rising grain prices and food shortages—the latest headlines are an urgent call for action. Concern over food security is often overshadowed by the euro-zone troubles or other crises, but the […]

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Investor Interest In Canadian Farmland

Via the Western Producer, an article about foreign investor interest in Canadian farmland:  Saskatchewan farmland continues to be viewed as fertile ground for corporate investors to sink their money. But as the amount of investor-owned farmland grows, so do concerns about foreign ownership and loopholes in the province’s farmland ownership regulations. Mark Folk, general manager […]

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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.