Good day guys. I know majority of us don't like reading long story but I can't help it because most of these articles are long. But if you are curious to know the hottest global investment trend you'd better find a way to follow these articles. These are to help us approach agriculture for what it is now, its bigger than most of us think it is. In the nearest future the size of farmland you control will determine your inpact in the industry.

Let's see the first one:

African countries that missed out on Gulf cash pouring into agricultural projects elsewhere on the continent are trying to entice Arab investors with deals they say are designed to avoid problems of the past.
An earlier wave of foreign investment in African farmland aroused domestic hostility or even unrest on some projects, with opponents regarding them as land-grabs that eat into local people's food needs. Undeterred, governments of countries including Zambia and Ghana argue that everyone can benefit from such investment provided it is properly regulated.
They took their message this week to a global agricultural forum in the United Arab Emirates, offering land lease and production sharing deals which aim to raise money for helping their own small scale farmers and to feed local people.
"We are here because we want to interest some of these investors to come and invest in Zambia. So far there hasn't been interest from the Middle East and yet we are an important destination," Zambian Agriculture Minister Robert Sichinga told Reuters on the sidelines of the forum in Abu Dhabi.
In a multi-billion dollar search for food security, desert states of the Gulf - which rely on imports for around 80 to 90 percent of their food needs - started investing heavily in farmland overseas around 2008.
Bad weather in large food producing nations, growing use of land for biofuel crops and curbs on agricultural exports by some governments had sent grain futures prices soaring at that time, prompting the Gulf spending spree to secure access to large scale food production.
Investments included land to grow crops like wheat, rice and maize in countries such as Sudan, Ethiopia and Namibia, but other African nations have so far been left out.
Sichinga said land-lease deals could provide much-needed money to take Zambia's agricultural sector to the next level of development.
Ghana, the world's second largest cocoa producer, was also keen to strike deals for an agricultural sector that accounts for over half of its gross domestic product.
"The government alone is unable to provide the needs for the sector so we need to tap foreign direct investment," Rashid Pelpou, Minister of State for Private Sector Development, told Reuters.
LAND FOR FREE
Ghana's government wants to create a land bank for investors. Its efforts also include offering some land owned by the country's prisons for nothing to investors.
"We are looking to lease lands and we are happy to work with people, at the moment we even have free land we can give to people through the prison service as they have vast amounts of land that are not being utilised and investors can partner with them," Pelpou said.
In Accra, Ghana's deputy Information Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed said prisoners sentenced to hard labour often work on prison farms and the crops are used to feed inmates. However, he told Reuters that there was no active policy of offering prison land to investors as far as he was aware.
Ghana also offers tax-free arrangements for agricultural investments in the northern part of the country. In return, the farming projects would typically split their production, with part going to the domestic market for crops which are locally consumed and the investor exporting the rest.
Resources are badly needed to develop small scale farming in Africa. Zambia has only 500 commercial farms compared with around 1.5 million small farmers, Sichinga said.
The country is farming only 14 percent of its 70 million hectares of arable land but is self-sufficient in most crops and exports food to neighbours. "Foreign direct investment would help us secure more export markets," Sichinga said.
PROBLEMS
Still, foreign investments in farmland have entangled some Gulf investors in political and social problems and, according to some critics, their projects have been difficult to get off the ground.
In Ethiopia, where farmland in the Gambella region was leased to Saudi-based billionaire Mohammed al-Amoudi, five people died in April 2012 when an armed group ambushed the firm's employees.
Human Rights Watch, a non-government body, said it thought the attack was linked to government moves to resettle villagers to clear the way for commercial farming. Saudi Star, Amoudi's firm, said at the time it thought the violence was propagated by outsiders and has continued with its project.
The attack is one example of how land deals can create more problems than solutions for Africa, but some observers believe it all depends on the kinds of agreements negotiated.
Roy Steiner, Deputy Director of Agricultural Development of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said projects should benefit the host country partly by helping small farmers to develop their businesses.
"It completely depends on the context and how the investment is done. If it is done well with consultation about issues that develop small farmers then it is good, but if it is done as an outside imposition then consequences are possibly negative," Steiner told Reuters.
Aid and development charity Oxfam said ownership of 90 percent of land in sub-Saharan Africa was unregistered. People were therefore vulnerable to being driven off their land to make way for big projects, said Oxfam's land adviser Kate Geary.
"Poor people are often left homeless, landless and with no compensation to rebuild their lives, and any food that is grown is flown thousands of miles away," she told Reuters. "Positive investment in agriculture - which strengthens people's rights to resources, improves their access to markets and supports women's rights - is vital."
Al Dahra, a privately-held Abu Dhabi agricultural firm with farmland across Europe, the Americas and Africa, says it has not faced problems because it shares produce equally with the host country and creates jobs where it invests.
"We care about food security in both countries - in our country and in the host country in which we are investing - and we almost always come up with a 50-50 sharing formula," Khadim Al-darei, Vice Chairman of Al Dahra Holding, told Reuters.
African countries are confident that this time around, laws and regulations will prevent problems from arising.
"We will not have these kinds of problems. If foreign investors come they will come to terms with owners of land in what way they want to share and if they want to be given a certain percentage etc," Pelpou said.
Zambia also said that it would start giving investors leases of no more than 25 years and would remove them if they found investors were misusing land. "There will be terms for investing and if there is a local market for the crops that are being produced then in most cases you will only be allowed to export up to 50 percent," Sichinga said.

Culled from http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/06/gulf-africa-food-idUSL5N0LA0HO20140206

OK so what's the way forward. Cos it seems I missed that part

here's another one

Agricultural transactions involving foreign investors recorded since 2000 amount to 83 million hectares of land in developing countries – 1.7% of the world’s agricultural area – although only half of these data are considered reliable. The pace of acquisition has slowed down in 2010 but stays firm. Over 80 countries are targeted by foreign investors but 11 of them concentrate 70% of the targeted surface as reported by Land Matrix. Two-thirds of the targeted farmland is located in Africa, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In Africa, reported large-scale acquisitions of farmland amount to 4.8% of Africa’s total agricultural area – equivalent to the area of Kenya. Most of the targeted countries are poor with weak land governance, have high yield gaps and good accessibility.
There are three broad groups of economic players in agricultural land: 1) governments seeking to acquire agricultural land in other countries in order to secure food and energy supplies; 2) agricultural companies either looking to expand or to integrate the supply; and 3) financial investors. These groups do not work in isolation: the interest of one set of actors, by putting pressure on land, drives the interests of the other groups higher. The investors are mostly private actors – especially from America and Europe – but also public or state-owned companies – especially from the Gulf states
Investment originates from three groups of countries: 1) emerging countries (especially China, India, most emerging Asian countries, Brazil, South-Africa); 2) Gulf states; and 3) countries in the “Global North” (USA, Europe). The increasing involvement of investors from emerging countries is symptomatic of a new trend towards South-South relationships. It is likely driven by cultural affinity and reduced transport and transaction costs to feed large populations.
Investment in farmland is driven by long-term trends such as growing consumption of food and biofuels in a context of limited availability of water and energy. Investors are interested in securing access to food or other agricultural products, access to water and financial returns in an alternative asset class. Both food and non-food crops (e.g. biofuel crops, rubber) are of interest. Large-scale acquisitions for food crop production are located mostly in East Africa and West Africa, to a lesser degree in South-East Asia, according to Land Matrix. The main crops involved are rice, corn and wheat. Biofuel crops, especially jatropha, also play an important role in land acquisitions, with the majority of projects located in Africa, especially in East African countries (e.g. Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania). Eastern African countries are also of interest for land acquisition projects involving flex crops – which can be used for either food or biofuel production – such as soya bean, sugarcane and oil palm, which have played a central role in the recent wave of large-scale acquisitions. Overall, export appears to be by far the main objective of the future use of acquired land.
Significant risks are associated with investing in farmland. The main challenges are to respect the economic and social rights of local populations, to preserve environmental sustainability and to avoid one-sided agricultural development. Investors often compete for land with local farming communities. Indeed, although the importance of land rights and land governance for the economic performance of agriculture has long been recognised, land tenure systems in many countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, are unclear. They are often found in the form of a dual system where formal property rights coexist with customary land rights. The latter may be overlooked and lead to local populations losing access to land without adequate compensation.
Investments in farmland can be a “win-win-win” strategy if the risks are mitigated, particularly through project transparency and long-term engagement with the local population. Besides the gains for investors and home countries, investments in farmland can yield benefits for local communities, the host country at large and lead to increased global agricultural production. Financial investors have an important role to play in maximising these benefits.
The way forward includes improved governance, especially security of land tenure. Guidelines ensuring responsible investments in land conducive to broad-based development have been produced but an effective mechanism to enforce them is still missing. Documenting foreign investment is also key, both for transparency and better understanding of the phenomenon.
There is a strong case for private investment in agriculture. Investments required in developing countries to support the agricultural output needed in 2050 amount to an average of US$83 billion per year, which represents an increase of about 50% over current levels. There is increasing evidence that collaborative business models between small farmers and investors (such as contract farming, outgrower schemes and joint ventures) can be mutually beneficial, boosting agricultural productivity while reducing poverty and hunger, without necessitating transfer of land.
Culled from http://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/africa-%E2%80%93-the-top-target-for-foreign-investment-in-farmland/23298/

jaz:
OK so what's the way forward. Cos it seems I missed that part

My brother, the way forward is to open our eyes. when over 80 million acres of arable land have been taken over by non african in africa. we should start asking why they are buying farmland.

• "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou

By the time they finish dealing with us, we will have no land. With the corruption in high places, we won't know when they change leasehold agreement to 2,000 years. Africans will have to pay a king's ransom for a plot of farmland. @hotmas, this thought came to my mind when I saw you with Indians inspecting farmland to plant cashew.

AreaFada2:
By the time they finish dealing with us, we will have no land. With the corruption in high places, we won't know when they change leasehold agreement to 2,000 years. Africans will have to pay a king's ransom for a plot of farmland. @hotmas, this thought came to my mind when I saw you with Indians inspecting farmland to plant cashew.

Bro, the madness is sickening. But what is more sickening is the way people still feel about investing on farmland. I will soon be posting the list of the biggest farmland lords in Nigeria

Grabs a seat in class. Paying attention !

hotmas911:
Bro, the madness is sickening. But what is more sickening is the way people still feel about investing on farmland. I will soon be posting the list of the biggest farmland lords in Nigeria

"If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes." Andrew Carnegie

• "Our capacity to draw happiness from aesthetic objects or material goods in fact seems critically dependent on our first satisfying a more important range of emotional or psychological needs, among them the need for understanding, for love, expression, and respect." Alain de Botton

"Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling."

Meanwhile tell a friend...

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"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many--not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." Charles Dickens

• "Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get." Dale Carnegie

"Happiness is the experience of loving life. Being happy is being in love with that momentary experience. And love is looking at someone or even something and seeing the absolute best in him/her or it. Love is happiness with what you see. So love and happiness really are the same thing...just expressed differently."

"In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you."

"Persons of high self-esteem are not driven to make themselves superior to others; they do not seek to prove their value by measuring themselves against a comparative standard. Their joy is being who they are, not in being better than someone else." Nathaniel Branden

Hotmass, do you have any land for sale in Uyo or environs that can be suitable for cow farming?


Please do note that cow farming requires a large space, preferably outside of urban areas.


Thanks

@ Hotmas, the articles should serve as a wake up call to us all especially our growing middle class. It seems like a type of second slavery run on our resources. Why should Arabs who wholly control their oil resources also come to control African land resources, What ever happened to comparative advantage touted in economics. But it is a reality staring us in the face as many African countries lacked leadership and mordernising elite who study and contextualize our relation with a rapidly changing world. Rather than invest in educating existing farmers, agricultural entrepeanures in large numbers and make them more productive, our leadership prefers to engage in conspicuous consumption with available meager resources, with expensive business jets, Mercedes Benz convoys as preferred investments.

If we were holding our own in comparative advantage we should control sale of food to the needy regions like Middle East from our excess production, rather than begging your potential customers to come and own your production facilities.

It may sound funny but i feel sad when i see promising successful, Nigerian middle class families save millions of Naira to blow away in one trip to Dubai, USA, Europe etc. on vacation. Yet most of those money came from salary savings not income from solid investments. Yet people like Hotmas are shouting themselves hoarse marketing extremely cheap farmlands and only few heed this call while Indians and maybe Arabs are coming to snap up those lands.

Already the majority of nylon bags, plastic cups, plate and such simple things we use are made locally for us by Indians and Chinese, it will be a tragedy if they will still come and grow our rice, tomato, pepper, cassava, palm-oil, Ugwu, etc and sell to us in our land and we go about our business as if all is well. Our middle class must as a matter of duty start investing in these little things as micro industry and agriculture as most can set with as little as 2 Million to 10 Million Naira.

I hope the children we spend so much to educate and fly on expensive vacations abroad will not be left holding the short end of the stick when all productive ventures are in the hands of foreigners whose allegiance lies elsewhere.

I propose a restriction should be put in place to restrict foreign ownership of farmlands. The Arabs in UAE do it, i live there, as a foreigner you cannot even own an apartment in the city center, only in the outskirts and at that you don't own the land.

^^^^



It's simple Economics . No point blaming them, the onus lies with us ( Nigerians).

Besides, we live in a global village, we need the foreign direct investments.

We can't do it alone. Even the Chinese, Indians allow the Brits, New Zealanders, Americans etc to invest in their agricultural sector.

Gerrard59:
Hotmass, do you have any land for sale in Uyo or environs that can be suitable for cow farming?


Please do note that cow farming requires a large space, preferably outside of urban areas.


Thanks

Hi sir, we don't have in Uyo yet but we have in Ogbomoso Oyo state. You can get as much land as you want here at a reasonable price.

hmmm av read all through d thread what a nice write up it's we that's staffing ourselves from hunger Cos' there's no love among ourselves everywhere seeing cheating everywhere how could things improving when most of our graduates believe and dwell in white collar job and most of d graduate that practice agriculture are cheated from one place or d other I don't blame d foreigners coming to our land and practice agriculture it's we that allow such if each and everyone practice agriculture now their will no be cost of foods some people practice it they face frustration,they are been cheated from their investment that's while things won't develop on time in this country Cos' we believe that if we are not employed in one way or d other we won't make it and it's not like that .agriculture I know is d best u practice agriculture with d best of our ability, u practice agriculture with d best of ur knowledge not stressing ourselves in queuing for jobs that doesn't pay well.well for me and some people in this country agriculture will be practice even in this our generation we are agriculture will be lifted than oil that caused huge problem all over d world.what I notice in agriculture is d land space and if it's been taking care of problem solve.let us practice agriculture at least having an acre for a seedling or d other plants let us practice it .

hotmas911:
Hi sir, we don't have in Uyo yet but we have in Ogbomoso Oyo state. You can get as much land as you want here at a reasonable price.

Hi. I sent u a request on bbm but its still pending. Can I know how much to budget for an acre in Ogbomoso town?

Dolypson04:

Hi. I sent u a request on bbm but its still pending. Can I know how much to budget for an acre in Ogbomoso town?

budget 80k

collective effort

Gerrard59:
^^^^



It's simple Economics . No point blaming them, the onus lies with us ( Nigerians).

Besides, we live in a global village, we need the foreign direct investments.

We can't do it alone. Even the Chinese, Indians allow the Brits, New Zealanders, Americans etc to invest in their agricultural sector.

I am not blaming the foreigners one bit, it is us who lack foresight. No matter how much i make even if save $1 Billion i cannot own a square foot of land inside Abu Dhabi main city, they would soon be edged out if they allowed it. There is something a people must hold dear as comparative advantage, everything should not be for sale to anybody.

Imagine what was going through the mind of our fellow Africans who sold their compatriots to Europeans whom they have no idea where they came from? Slavery was practiced in Africa before they came but took another dimension with the arrival of slave importers.

Hotmas, Why would the coming of outsiders to invest in african agriculture give you sleepless nights?

countries are looking at food security for their citizens, I think all the countries involved can look at a way of making it a win-win situation for all involved.

Gulf countries are basically desert countries and crop farming there is very difficult because of the climate, but with oil, their population growing and have mouths to feed. Every sensible govt would want to find some for of reliable source of food for it's citizens, hence the push for them to invest in agriculture abroad.

What I think it is left for African countries to put laws in place that will ensure that they benefit from the practice, land ownership by foreigners should be regulated allowing only leasing and not outright sales, export of produce from foreign owned farms should also be regulated so that a good percentage of the produce is sold on the local market. The type of seeds allowed should also be in line with the cultural practice in the country, a foreign owned farm for example should not introduce genetically modified crops if it has not been approved by the government.

I think it will be better for the land to be farmed with foreign capital than for it to be left to waste.

I am aware of this trend for sometime now, there is little we can do about it since almost all countries are looking for foreign direct investments.

The world's most successful didn't do it alone

"Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom."

Think Big!

"There is only one thing more painful than learning from experience and that is not learning from experience."

hotmas911:
budget 80k

6plots niyen fa! Moreover, wch area of ogbomoso?