08-12-2011, 07:54 PM |
Asma Abdel Halim
Asma Abdel Halim
Registered: 05-01-2006
Total Posts: 1028
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Land grabbing in Africa
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"Land grabbing" became the term to name and describe international corporate's buying and leasing vast areas of land in Africa. (South Sudan is said to have sold or leased one tenth of its land). On the face of it, as described by the corporations this occupation of land by them provides better pay for the farmers they employ and helps the failing economies of Africa in many ways. However, there is a whole movement against this land grabbing. Corporations make inequitable deals, to say the least, with the African governments. These deals allows them to plant whatever they want and export it even if the country is suffering shortage of food. So if a company is harvesting corn for bio energy and the country is suffering a starvation and needed the corn to feed its people, the company is under no obligation to give that corn to the citizens of that country. Actually the deals put those countries at a disadvantage even at the sovereignty level. A government will have no power over what is being harvested or where it is taken to. Some say this land grabbing that shows corruption of governments and greed of transnational companies must be stopped. It shows that capital is working to invade and colonize African land. Others call for making it responsible. Any thoughts? Thank you Asma
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