Last Modified: 29 Jan 2009
By: Nick Paton Walsh
Countries who are unable to produce enough food for themselves are scouring the world for cheap farmland to grow food and export it home, reports Nick Paton Walsh.
Never mind the food miles: when prices are soaring around the world some countries have found a way of keeping their own consumers happy - farming out their farms overseas.
China, South Korea and many Arab nations can't produce enough food for themselves, but they do have cash and plenty of it.
Now they are scouring the world for cheap farmland to grow their own food and export it home. It's a global trend which has already got the United Nations worried.
Huge plots of land in Africa have been secured and now many rich nations are looking elsewhere for farmland.
One of Asia's poorest countries, Cambodia, is at the top of their wish list.
Source: www.channel4.com
2 comments:
It's no doubt that a large proportion of export earnings will accrue to foreigners and the Cambodian rich while poor farmers will be able to reap only little benefit. This may promote economic growth but may also widen existing inequality.
Hope there'll be no more such excessively long-term concessions. These have only strangled the poor especially when the concessionaires are not being monitored properly, as is happening. If such concessions are to be granted, it should be done in a smarter and more efficient manner with appropriate pro-poor policies and effective monitoring system.
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