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UnrepentantLiberal

(11,700 posts)
Thu Feb 16, 2012, 07:45 PM Feb 2012

The Word on Women - Food Insecurity and the Energy Crisis Result in Grabbing Land from Women

http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/blogs/the-word-on-women/food-insecurity-and-the-energy-crisis-result-in-grabbing-land-from-women

By Lydia Alpizar Duran
2/15/2012

Once the most frequented source of poster images depicting starving children, Ethiopia is now in the media for a new reason: as the go-to destination, ironically, for foreign companies and governments leasing land to grow food and biofuels.

Globally, food prices are rising. Food security is dubious in the Global North, Gulf countries and emerging economies such as China and India. Moreover, many nations face an energy crisis and are on a quest to find renewable alternatives to fossil fuels such as biofuels.

Given this confluence of circumstances, countries with abundant land such as Ethiopia, once ignored as too poor and destitute to warrant anything but food aid, now enjoy ‘most favored nation’ status in the eyes of foreign investors.

Women, who are already compensating for rising food prices and energy costs with additional time and labor – are now further disadvantaged through land grabbing.
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The Word on Women - Food Insecurity and the Energy Crisis Result in Grabbing Land from Women (Original Post) UnrepentantLiberal Feb 2012 OP
I completely hate the term "food insecurity" kdmorris Feb 2012 #1
"Africa's women grow 80% of their food but own less than 1% of the land." BlueIris Feb 2012 #3
This part made me jump: "(I)n the last decade alone, foreign companies and governments have acquired BlueIris Feb 2012 #2
The Oxfam report is linked there, and my very very quick skim petronius Feb 2012 #6
K&R - food insecurity my arse... PhoenixAbove Feb 2012 #4
The corporate behemoths are going to take the whole shebang down. CrispyQ Feb 2012 #5

kdmorris

(5,649 posts)
1. I completely hate the term "food insecurity"
Thu Feb 16, 2012, 08:37 PM
Feb 2012

These people are starving... I'm appalled that Republicans came up with a more "sanitary" name for something so awful. (at least I first heard it during Bush's terms).

That being said - thanks for bringing this up. There was a sentence in there that says Africa's women grow 80% of their food but own less than 1% of the land. With land grabs like this becoming so much more common, I'm glad there are some groups that are trying to stop them. (see link in the article)

BlueIris

(29,135 posts)
2. This part made me jump: "(I)n the last decade alone, foreign companies and governments have acquired
Fri Feb 17, 2012, 05:13 AM
Feb 2012

227 million hectares of land in Africa."

Holy crap.

petronius

(26,662 posts)
6. The Oxfam report is linked there, and my very very quick skim
Fri Feb 17, 2012, 12:11 PM
Feb 2012

makes me think a lot of that foreign investment is to buy non-marginal land to grow biofuel for export, replacing food production for subsistence and domestic use. Holy crap indeed...

PhoenixAbove

(166 posts)
4. K&R - food insecurity my arse...
Fri Feb 17, 2012, 08:37 AM
Feb 2012

I agree with kdmorris. These people are starving... and the land grabbing is just evil but what else could be expected? Men own all the resources to buy up the land.

CrispyQ

(38,266 posts)
5. The corporate behemoths are going to take the whole shebang down.
Fri Feb 17, 2012, 10:05 AM
Feb 2012

No fucking shit.

If we don't rein these monsters in, they are going to destroy everything.

All. For. Profit.

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