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Rich countries launch great land grab to safeguard food supply

Dandelion Salad

by Julian Borger, diplomatic editor
guardian.co.uk, Saturday November 22 2008

Rich governments and corporations are triggering alarm for the poor as they buy up the rights to millions of hectares of agricultural land in developing countries in an effort to secure their own long-term food supplies.

The head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, Jacques Diouf, has warned that the controversial rise in land deals could create a form of “neo-colonialism”, with poor states producing food for the rich at the expense of their own hungry people.

Rising food prices have already set off a second “scramble for Africa”. This week, the South Korean firm Daewoo Logistics announced plans to buy a 99-year lease on a million hectares in Madagascar. Its aim is to grow 5m tonnes of corn a year by 2023, and produce palm oil from a further lease of 120,000 hectares (296,000 acres), relying on a largely South African workforce. Production would be mainly earmarked for South Korea, which wants to lessen dependence on imports.

[…]

via Rich countries launch great land grab to safeguard food supply | Environment | The Guardian

h/t: CLG

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9 thoughts on “Rich countries launch great land grab to safeguard food supply”

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  4. All else side, they need to leave alone Madaskar, home of all the Lemurs, better people than we.

    Already the island is under extreme duress growing rice for its existing population.

    The Lemurs need the amazing forests of Madagaskar. They are the forest. Agriculture is digesting this limited ancient forest like a flesh-eating disease. The land then literally melts, all topsoil gullied and gone to erosion, lifeless forever.

    Homo Sapiens is a bad species. Anyone who disturbs the gleamurs is bad for life on earth.

    Save the Gleamurs.

  6. There will be a global up-rising of the poor against these land-grabbers once enough people have starved to death. This is beyond wrong, it’s criminal.
    Land needs to be harvested by the people for the people. So many people can be fed and be given jobs just by turning this land into a sustainable eco-farm.
    It’s a shame that the global community continues to allow the exploitation of people who cannot defend themselves against it. We are our brothers keeper, next door and across the continents.
    Peace, Love and Respect,
    Jen

  9. Not only is what the rich countries doing is wrong, the crthethe crops they want to grow will further damage the enironment.

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