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Title The global farms race : land grabs, agricultural investment, and the scramble for food security / edited by Michael Kugelman, Susan L. Levenstein
Published Washington, DC : Island Press, ©2013

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Description 1 online resource (x, 237 pages
Contents Introduction / Michael Kugelman -- Are We Learning from History? / Derek Byerlee -- Overview / David Hallam -- Social and Economic Implications / Alexandra Spieldoch and Sophia Murphy -- Environmental Impacts / Laura A. German, Wouter M.J. Achten, and Manuel R. Guariguata -- Investors' Perspectives / Gary R. Blumenthal -- Improving Outcomes / Ruth Meinzen-Dick and Helen Markelova -- Regional Perspectives: Africa / Chido Makunike -- Regional Perspectives: Asia / Raul Q. Montemayor -- Regional Perspectives: Latin America / Bastiaan P. Reydon and Vitor B. Fernandes -- Regional Perspectives: Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union / Carl Atkin -- Recommendations and Conclusion / Michael Kugelman -- Appendices
Summary As we struggle to feed a global population speeding toward 9 billion, we have entered a new phase of the food crisis. Wealthy countries that import much of their food, along with private investors, are racing to buy or lease huge swaths of farmland abroad. The Global Farms Race is the first book to examine this burgeoning trend in all its complexity, considering the implications for investors, host countries, and the world as a whole. The debate over large-scale land acquisition is typically polarized, with critics lambasting it as a form of "neocolonialism," and proponents lauding it as an elixir for the poor yields, inefficient technology, and unemployment plaguing global agriculture. The Global Farms Race instead offers diverse perspectives, featuring contributions from agricultural investment consultants, farmers' organizations, international NGOs, and academics. The book addresses historical context, environmental impacts, and social effects, and covers all the major geographic areas of investment. Nearly 230 million hectares of farmland--an area equivalent to the size of Western Europe--have been sold or leased since 2001, with most of these transactions occurring since 2008. As the deals continue to increase, it is imperative for anyone concerned with food security to understand them and their consequences. The Global Farms Race is a critical resource to develop that understanding
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes English
Print version record
Subject Farms -- Foreign ownership.
Farms -- Developing countries -- Foreign ownership
Agricultural industries -- Foreign ownership
Agricultural industries -- Developing countries -- Foreign ownership
Investments, Foreign -- Developing countries
Agriculture -- Capital investments
Food security -- Political aspects
Food security -- Environmental aspects
Food security -- Social aspects
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Industries -- Agribusiness.
TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING -- Agriculture -- Sustainable Agriculture.
Agricultural industries -- Foreign ownership
Agriculture -- Capital investments
Farms -- Foreign ownership
Investments, Foreign
Business & Economics.
Agricultural Economics.
Developing countries
Form Electronic book
Author Kugelman, Michael.
Levenstein, Susan L., 1975-
LC no. 2012011492
ISBN 1610912195
9781610912198