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Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Africa: Invasion of the Land Grabbers


The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates more than 75,000 square miles have been acquired by foreign interests in Africa alone. A 2010 field study conducted by FIAN in Ethiopia found that the equivalent of up to 20 percent of the country’s arable land has been bought by or made available to foreign investors.

American companies are among those making land deals in Africa. New York-based Jarch Capital, bought an area the size of Dubai from a warlord in South Sudan last year, and Dominion Farms Ltd., which bought swampland in Kenya in 2003 to turn it into a rice plantation, has reportedly intentionally flooded local farms to force the relocation of farmers.'

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2 comments:

  1. No doubt to go and plant their GM crops on them to feed the poor starving Africans!

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  2. Actually, many parts of Africa have the most fertile land, a rich red soil, which you can easily grow crops. I do not know why many african countries don't bother to farm the land themselves instead of relying on people who are looking to once again enslave.

    I know the soil is fertile because I grew many things on it, when I went to live there for a few years. Mango, sweetcorn, paw paw to name a few things. There was even a huge banana plantation on the complex where we lived. The day I discovered that with my siblings was the most scary and exciting thing we came across. The trees were huge and lots of water, so much water. These things grow easily over there.

    I really don't know. I think we need to get our priorities very straight!

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