WUNRN
The Global Farms Race
Land Grabs, Agricultural
Investment, and the Scramble for Food Security
Michael Kugelman
and Susan L. Levenstein
(Article
in this book that discusses the social implications for women and their
communities.)
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