More than 20 African countries are selling or leasing land for intensive agriculture on a shocking scale in what may be the greatest change of ownership since the colonial era, a March 10 Alternet.org article said.
Alternet.org said a British Observer investigation estimated up to 50 million hectares of land in africa has been acquired in the last few years or is in the process of being negotiated by governments and wealthy investors working with state subsidies.
"The land rush, which is still accelerating, has been triggered by the worldwide food shortages which followed the sharp oil price rises in 2008, growing water shortages and the European Union's insistence that 10% of all transport fuel must come from plant-based biofuels by 2015", Alternet.org said
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In many areas, the land deals have led to evictions, civil unrest and complaints of "land grabbing".