Food crisis and the global land grab

Reuters | 12 Nov 2014 Taxpayer funds save Congo plantation paying workers $1/day Development funds from European governments helped to rescue a Canadian company that pays workers as little as $1/day to toil on some of Africa's largest palm oil plantations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Daily Telegraph | 12 Nov 2014 Tough new rules as foreigners gouge huge chunk of Australia 12.4 per cent of Australia’s agricultural land has some level of foreign ownership, with 95 per cent of this land in the hands of just 45 overseas companies.

| 12 Nov 2014 Palm oil company Goldtree boosts Sierra Leone’s agricultural sector with $18 million investment in its Kailahun plantation Palm oil company, Goldtree, has recently committed $18.3 million to expanding its existing operations in the Kailahun district of Sierra Leone.

Oakland Institue | 12 Nov 2014 A statement from the Oakland Institute on the Conference on Land Policy in Africa The host country government of the international conference is arguably one of the worst offenders when it comes to forced displacement resulting from land grabs.

ASO | 12 Nov 2014 Groups call for independent inquiry by the UN into the treatment of indigenous and minority peoples in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government has embarked on a large-scale land investment policy that has led to the displacement and forced eviction of Ethiopia’s most marginalized traditional societies.

Reuters | 12 Nov 2014 H&M says seeks to ensure cotton does not come from disputed land Swedish TV4 said H&M was using cotton from areas in Ethiopia vulnerable to land grabbing -- the buying or leasing of land in developing countries, often by foreign companies, without the consent of affected local communities.

Russian Insider | 11 Nov 2014 Signs of massive Chinese move Into Russian agriculture “We are looking at seven projects in the farming sector. They involve mostly Chinese and a number of Arab co-investors," says head of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund.

This Day | 11 Nov 2014 Nigeria's oil palm development: The potential and the threat Large scale businesses like Wilmar risk being labeled land grabbers, but we don't have that in Nigeria, says Minister of Agriculture Dr. Akinwumi Adesina.

Phnom Penh Post | 11 Nov 2014 Mitr Phol disputants to testify Representatives of Oddar Meanchey villagers who allegedly lost their homes in a 2008 land grab by Thai-owned sugar giant Mitr Phol are hopeful a settlement may soon be reached.

Vice Magazine | 10 Nov 2014 Land wars: Ethiopia accused of massacring civilians to clear way for foreign farms Ethiopia is selling off vast chunks of its land to foreign investors who are growing food products for export — and those who get in the government's way are being killed or silenced.

Guardian | 10 Nov 2014 Stop investing in Colombian blood: land activists appeal to the UK Colombians are being kept off their farms by armed groups and illegal businesses. Those fighting for land restitution have a blunt message for British firms and politicians

Business World | 10 Nov 2014 Unifrutti signs deal for Maguindanao banana farms Chiquita-Unifrutti will invest US$60 million in a 2,000 ha banana plantation in an area previously occupied by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Oakland Institue | 10 Nov 2014 Engineering ethnic conflict: The toll of Ethiopia's plantation development on the Suri people The report uncovers the truth behind a reported massacre of 30 to 50 Suri people in May 2012 near a 30,000-hectare Malaysian-owned Koka plantation.

East African | 09 Nov 2014 Kagame woos Indian investment Rwanda is pushing for massive irrigation projects to boost agricultural production, where an investment of $200 million is needed for 35,800 hectares of farmland.

Reuters | 07 Nov 2014 Telling family farming fairy tales A recent comprehensive survey by GRAIN, examining data from around the world, finds that while small farmers feed the world, they are doing so with just 24 percent of the world's farmland.

DVB | 07 Nov 2014 NGOs say ethnic areas have no ‘virgin lands’ The Ethnic Community Development Forum (ECDF) released a statement on Thursday which slammed Burma’s draft National Land Use Policy for failing to protect small-scale farmers and ethnic minorities.

AEFJN | 07 Nov 2014 Sell out African food & farming system The current flow of agricultural investment is focused just on export-based industrial agriculture, while smallholders and family agriculture remain deprived of investment.

Act Now! | 07 Nov 2014 Australia the largest single beneficiary from PNG rainforest destruction Australia is the largest single beneficiary of rampant and unsustainable logging and land grabbing in Papua New Guinea, according to leading community activist group, ACT NOW!

Mizzima | 07 Nov 2014 NGOs fear draft land use policy fails to deal with land grabs, farmers’ rights Groups say draft law prioritizes and gives special privileges to business investors, which could spark more land grabs and create more land problems within the country.

Daily News | 07 Nov 2014 Tanzania: Prisons, Turkish firm in farming partnership A Turkish agriculture firm, Tarbim, will invest billions of shillings to establish a modern rice farm at Tanzania Prisons Bagamoyo farm.

FPP | 07 Nov 2014 Yangon statement on human rights and agribusiness in Southeast Asia released Policies to generate foreign investment and commodity exports are imposing heavy costs on communities, such as land grabs, loss of livelihoods, lack of food security, and degradation of the environment and biodiversity.

AIDWATCH | 07 Nov 2014 In Defence of Land in Melanesia: AidWatch Speaking Tour In the face of various threats to land, Melanesian are struggling to retain control over Melanesia land. Join us in hearing their stories and learn how you can support their struggle.

Bread for All | 06 Nov 2014 Swiss banks and institutional investors financing landgrabbing companies Report assesses the financial relationships of 17 companies involved in land grabbing, human rights abuses or environmental pollution with 17 selected Swiss banks and institutional investors since January 2011.

Guardian | 06 Nov 2014 Who owns Angola’s land? A problem that needs quick resolution Angola's rural population could be left behind as large areas are leased to foreign farming and mining companies, instead of providing for those who fled to the cities during the war but are now returning to the countryside.

Global AgInvesting | 28 Oct 2014 Saudi Arabia facing food security issues head on Saudi Arabia's strategy is to encourage the Saudi private sector to invest abroad using their financial surpluses, their ‘ag’ experience and the modern production and irrigation technology they have.

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Nouvelle Tribune | 12 nov 2014 Afrique : réaliser des films pour sensibiliser sur l’accaparement des terres Le cinéaste béninois Idrissou Mora-Kpaï anime depuis le 1er novembre dernier à Cotonou, un atelier sur la réalisation de films sur l’accaparement des terres et la sécurité alimentaire.

APS | 11 nov 2014 Saint-Louis: deux accusés condamnés à cinq ans de prison ferme Des peines de cinq ans ferme ont été prononcées au Sénégal contre Salif Ka et Saidou Dia reconnus coupables de meurtre et détention d'arme à feu sans autorisation administrative dans l’affaire dite de Fanaye.

Attac Suisse | 11 nov 2014 Contre GlobalGrain et l’accaparement des terres agricoles GlobalGrain, la grand’ messe des entreprises du commerce des aliments agricoles, se déroule pour la 12ème fois à Genève

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Vía Campesina | 10 nov 2014 Pronunciamiento de la CLOC- Vía Campesina Sudamérica frente al Caso Curuguaty Posición de la CLOC- Vía Campesina Sudamérica con respecto al inminente juicio oral y público contra los campesinos y las campesinas procesados por el caso de la masacre de Curuguaty

E'a | 07 nov 2014 40 mil personas de 60 países piden tierras de Marina Cue para familias víctimas de la masacre Se cerrará el viernes 14 de noviembre la campaña que promueve que las tierras de Marina Cue sean para familias víctimas de la masacre. Las organizaciones nuevamente pedirán una reunión con el presidente Horacio Cartes.

Telesur TV | 07 nov 2014 Campesinos de Sierra Leona luchan por sus tierras Entre las multinacionales y los campesinos de Sierra Leona se libra una batalla por las tierras, teleSUR te muestra cómo ese país azotado por el ébola tiene luchas paralelas.

Radio Mundo Real | 07 nov 2014 Manglares en extinción Caña y palma ponen en riesgo la desprotegida biodiversidad y soberanía alimentaria de Guatemala

Portafolio | 06 nov 2014 Colombia: Aumenta polémica por tema de tierras En Bogotá y Villavicencio las discusiones se centraron en el proyecto de ley de las Zidres.

Minuto 30 | 06 nov 2014 Proyecto de baldíos “acaba con lo poco que quedaba de soberanía campesina” en Colombia Varias organizaciones colombianas e internacionales presentaron un estudio que denuncia un proyecto de Ley impulsado por el Gobierno que, según concluyen, restará tierras a campesinos en favor de grandes empresas.

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TV4 | 11 Nov 2014 Ny hård kritik mot H&M En kartläggning som Kalla fakta gjort visar att H&M, via mellanhänder, köper bomull som kommer från områden där det förekommer tvångsförflyttningar, enligt människorättsorganisationer. Man menar att brott mot mänskliga rättigheter begåtts.