Every day in Ethiopia, locals in modern farming operations protected by guards wielding AK47s pick, pack and load hundreds of tons of fresh produce that is flown to a handful of oil rich Middle Eastern cities, entirely bypassing Ethiopia, one of the hungriest places on the planet. The trip from vine to store shelf takes less than 24 hours. Plantations like this one have become common across Africa where richer countries including South Korea and Japan, and rising powers like China and India, have begun leasing vast tracts of land. They are joined by Agribusiness and Western hedge funds that are funneling billions into the new projects in anticipation of continued global food shortages and rising food prices. They say they’re bringing desperately needed new technologies, seeds and investment to Africa, but opponents call it profiteering and a “land grab” that is forcing poor farmers off their land and benefiting only those governments that are inking the deals.
Jan 01