UNITED NATIONS, Oct 23 - A move by governments and rich investors to raise food crops on farmland purchased in some of the world's poorer countries is coming under fire.
"The purchase of vast tracts of land from poor, developing countries by wealthier, food-insecure nations and private investors have become a widespread phenomenon," says a new study by the Oakland Institute, an independent policy think tank based in San Francisco.
The sudden rush for these "land grabs" - prompted primarily by the global food crisis - is threatening food security and the livelihoods of some 1.5 billion small farmers worldwide, according to the study titled "The Great Land Grab", released early this week.
Between 2006 and mid-2009, some 37 million to 49 million acres of farmland have changed hands or are under negotiation. More >>>
Read the International Land Coalition Paper - Increasing commercial pressure on land: Building a coordinated response.
