Crowdfunding has been used to raise money for hightech coolers and video games. A group of Israelis hope the model will protect land in Africa.

Thirty years ago when I was in high school in Canada one of the great campaigns of the year was set to raise money on behalf of the school so we could buy land in South America –– precious land that was being deforested so McDonalds could raise more cattle for more burgers.

The land in South Africa was cheap and ideal for low-cost cattle ranching and some open-eyed teacher at the school must have understood that if land in an Amazon forest was up for sale to McDonalds then certainly any public person could buy it too. So we had a campaign that all of us were interested in being a part of – I think it was matchmaking – and raised money.

I remember the announcement on the PA that we had raised enough to buy a couple hundred acres of land that would be protected forever from deforestation. And now that small act of defiance against big corporations that we all support to some extent keeps reverberating. A group of Israelis have started raising money to buy land in Africa to keep developers from encroaching on it. 

Africa is to the Middle East as the Amazon rainforest is to America. It’s a great land grab for feeding rich countries that don’t have the space or water for growing their own food. Look back to our archives to see how the Middle East is displacing tribes, forests and animals with oil money. It’s the same old colonialist model repeating itself over and over again. 

But there are new projects keeping the idea alive. One of them is This is My Earth, a group that has raised money to buy 749 acres of land in the tropical Rosewood Forest in Belize and 183 acres in Maasai Mara in Kenya, according to a local paper in Israel.

The organization was established in 2015 by Prof. Uri Shanas of the Biology and Environment Department at the University of Haifa-Oranim, and with the help Prof. Alon Tal they’re aiming to roll back the extinction process and combat climate change.

The idea behind the organization is simple, according to YNet: Each year, a scientific committee comprised of experts from all over the world joins and chooses three land plots that are considered biodiversity hotspots with a high risk of extinction.

It’s a great idea that more people emerging from Israel’s lucrative high-tech careers should explore. A young Israeli couple is reported to have donated the largest sum towards buying the recent plots of land, but think of the impact if hundreds or thousands of others did the same. 

While ownership is better in the hands of the people who should be stewarding their own land, keeping it in trust out of the hands of international buyers for profit might be the best way forward until the world better appreciates the wildness of biodiverse land.

More on This is My Earth here

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Back in early 2012, Human Rights Watch warned that tens of thousands of Ethiopians were being made destitute so their land could 

Following last week’s news that rich Middle Eastern royals were threatening Maasai land, I look back at land grab stories which have involved the Middle East this year – from Ethiopia, Tanzania and the Congo. The worst case to catch my eye is the forced displacement of Ethiopians.

According to a report by Human Rights Watch which came out in January 2012, the Ethiopian government is forcing tens of thousands of people off their land so it can lease it to foreign investors, leaving former landowners destitute and in some cases starving. The US human rights group states that there plans to lease 2.1 million hectares of land – mainly to countries such as China and Gulf Arab States.

1. Ethiopia

The HRW report Ethiopia: Forced Relocations Bring Hunger, Hardship, remarked that 1.5 million Ethiopians would eventually be forced from their land due to land grabs. The country has already leased 3 million hectares to foreign investors which is almost the size of Belgium and hopes to lease another 2.1 million hectares.

The Observer reported that the Government leased some 10,000ha to the Ethiopian born Saudi Arabian oil multi millionaire, Sheik Al Moudi (In 2011, Fortune magazine put his wealth at more than $12bn) to grow rice for his Saudi Star Company. Sheik Al Moudi plans to export over a million tonnes of rice a year to Saudi Arabia. :: The Independent (UK)

2. Congo

In May, we reported that an Islamic bank in Jordan, Sanabel, has bought up over a quarter of a Congo forest for ‘sustainable projects’. According to news reports, Sanabel which is Jordan’s first Islamic investment bank is considering a number of “Sharia’ compliant forestry activities” for the land it has purchased. These range from afforestation and reforestation projects, and protecting the land from deforestation and sustainable agro-forestry projects.

3. Tanzania

As we’ve already reported, Middle Eastern royals are being accused of aiding a massive sell-off of the Serengeti. And in a new twist to the land-grab meme, this land sell-off is not to secure access to precious food supplies but, rather, to indulge in the hunting whims of the Middle East’s elite.The campaigning group Avaaz has launched a online petition to ask Tanzania’s President Kikwete to reject the hunting corporation’s big deal and stop the sell-off of the Serengeti. So far, 871,942 people have signed the petition.

4. The world?

According to the latest report by the Worldwatch Institute, the “oil-rich but arid Gulf states made up the final group of major land investors.” Although they are not buying very much compared to the emerging economies (and their growing populations) of Brazil, India and China who together make up 25% of all land purchases, they are still significant buyers for their size. There is also a strong pattern of South-South purchasing or regionalised buying. For example, in the Middle East countries such as Saudi and the UAE have been buying land in Sudan but also more locally in Algeria and Morocco.

:: Image of Ethiopian children via Galyna Andrushko/Shuttstock.com

For more on land grab by Middle Eastern nations see:

Middle Eastern Royalty Threaten 48,000 Maasai in Hunting Deal

Saudi Star Among Firms Behind Thousands of Forced Relocations in Ethiopia

Jordanian Bank Buys One Quarter of a Congo Forest

African Land Grab Continues – Middle East is Major Buyer

The post 2012: Thousands Face Displacement Due to Middle Eastern Land Grab appeared first on Green Prophet.

A new campaign attempts to stop a hunting deal in Tanzania forcing 48,000 members of Africa’s Maasai tribe off their land so Middle Eastern royalty can hunt lions and leopards in the Serengeti

The Middle East’s love affair with wild animals has hit the headlines again. No, there haven’t been sightings of cheetahs on the streets of Dubai or dead wolves and owls on parade, rather Middle Eastern royals are being accused of aiding a massive sell-off of the Serengeti. And in a new twist to the land-grab meme, this land sell-off is not to secure access to precious food supplies but, rather, to indulge in the hunting whims of the Middle East’s elite.

The campaigning group Avaaz has launched a online petition to ask Tanzania’s President Kikwete to reject the hunting corporation’s big deal and stop the sell-off of the Serengeti.

“The last time this same corporation pushed the Maasai off their land to make way for rich hunters, people were beaten by the police, their homes were burnt to a cinder and their livestock died of starvation” explains Avaaz via email to Green Prophet.

“But when a press controversy followed, Tanzanian President Kikwete reversed course and returned the Maasai to their land. This time, there hasn’t been a big press controversy yet, but we can change that and force Kikwete to stop the deal if we join our voices now.”

Oxfam, an international charity, also reported on the eviction which took place in July 2009 in Tanzania leaving nearly 2,000 people homeless. They aded that “two of the most infamous land conflicts are with Emirates hunting company Ortello Business Corporation and American-owned Thomson Safaris Ltd.”

As of August 13, more than 400,000 people had signed the petition in just 24 hours and Avaaz reported that President Kikwete’s inner circle was starting to react: “ a few hours ago, the President’s close confidante, Mr. January Makamba MP, tweeted saying he would send our voices to the President himself. Keep up the pressure by signing now and forwarding to others.”

The Maasai are semi-nomadic herders who have lived in Tanzania and Kenya for centuries, playing a critical role in preserving the delicate ecosystem and wildlife of the Serengeti. As such, a deal to evict the Maasai to make way for rich foreign hunters is as bad for wildlife as it is for the communities it would destroy.

For more on wild animals in the Middle East see:

Dubai Porsche Driver Walks Pet Cheetah on a Leash

Africa’s Most Dangerous Animal to Greet Eid Visitors at Gulf Zoo

Gulf Country completely Bans Ownership of Wild Animals

The post Emirati Royalty Threaten 48,000 Maasai in Lucrative Hunting Deal appeared first on Green Prophet.

According to the Worldwatch Institute’s latest report on land grab, the oil-rich Gulf nations are big buyers of foreign land

Since 2000, an estimated 70.2 million hectares of agricultural land worldwide has been sold or leased by private or public investors. Most of that land grab took place between 2008 and 2010 and most of the land bought was in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The buyers, however, were a little more dispersed with Brazil, India, China, East Asian nations, the US and the UK topping the list.

The oil-rich Gulf nations of the Middle East, however, were close behind making up one of the major groups of buyers. Indeed Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar alone bought up 4.6 million hectares of land over the decade. And other nations such as Egypt and Jordan have also been buying up fertile land abroad.

According to the latest report by the Worldwatch Institute, the “oil-rich but arid Gulf states made up the final group of major land investors.” Although they are not buying very much compared to the emerging economies (and their growing populations) of Brazil, India and China who together make up 25% of all land purchases, they are still significant buyers for their size. There is also a strong pattern of South-South purchasing or regionalised buying. For example, in the Middle East countries such as Saudi and the UAE have been buying land in Sudan but also more locally in Algeria and Morocco.

Worldwatch author Cameron Scherer said, “most of the data paint one of two pictures: First, there is a new ‘South-South’ regionalism, in which emerging economies invest in nearby, culturally affiliated countries. The other trend is one of wealthy (or increasingly wealthy) countries, many with little arable land, buying up land in low-income nations—-especially those that have been particularly vulnerable to the financial and food crises of recent years.”

Land grab can be defined as the large-scale purchase of agricultural land by foreign investors. The latest report by the Worldwatch Institute brings together data gathered by a network of 45 civil and research society organization which documented 1,006 land deals covering 70.2 million hectares of land from around the world. The data shows a clear peak of land purchasing in 2009 following the food crisis of 2007-08 which saw a rise in the cost of staple foods.

The food crisis of 2008 was also sparked by the rising cost of fuel and oil prices. This led to countries buying up agricultural land hoping to make the most of the rising costs or to protect themselves by garnering a little food security. Africa, with it’s huge land mass, was the main target. In fact, approximately 56.2 million hectares of the land purchased was in Africa.

Although we tend to think of land grab as closely linked to food and food security, the Worldwatch Institute’s report found that a quarter of land grab was not linked to agricultural projects. Upto 11 percent of investors are in the forestry sector, and 8 percent are from the mining industry, livestock, or tourism sectors.

The implications of land grab whilst unclear do not look promising. In many cases, the deal done between investors and the local government displaces local farmers who often work the land but lack formal land rights or access to legal support. The use of industrial agriculture and other related practices can also have negative implication on the land’s quality and the environment surrounding it.

As the Worldwatch Institute state: “In the absence of clear regulations, robust enforcement mechanisms, government transparency, and channels for civil society participation, further investments in land may benefit a group of increasingly wealthy investors at the expense of those living in the targeted land areas.”

: Image of African farmer via Shutterstock.com

For more on land grabs by the Middle East see:

Global Land Grabs: Benefits, Emerging Dangers and Growing Anxieties

Jordanian Bank Sanabel Buys One Quarter of A Congo Forest

Africa Up For Sale: Is the Middle East Buying?

The post African Land Grab Continues – Middle East Is Major Buyer appeared first on Green Prophet.

An Islamic bank in Jordan, Sanabel, has bought up over a quarter of a Congo forest for ‘sustainable projects’

When I first read about the acquisition of 500,000 hectares of high value forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo by an Islamic investment bank in Jordan, I thought one thing: land grab.

Over the last couple of years, countries across the MENA region have been buying tracts of land all over Africa. Worried about the rising cost of food as well as declining natural resources locally, they have been trying to make sure that their eggs (so to speak) aren’t all in one basket. Egypt has bought up land in Sudan, Saudi Arabia has staked a claim on land in Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates has farms in Sudan, Morocco and Algeria.

However, this latest land acquisition by Sanabel is a little more interesting as it claims to come with some green credentials. According to news reports, Sanabel which is Jordan’s first Islamic investment bank is considering a number of “Sharia’ compliant forestry activities” for the land it has purchased. These range from afforestation and reforestation projects, and protecting the land from deforestation and sustainable agro-forestry projects.

I have written about the ethical aspects of Islamic banking in the past and also the important role they could be playing in protecting the planet, so it’s great to see some action being taken. Indeed Al-Sanabel Chairman and CEO Khaldoun Malkawi explained that these activities are entirely compatible with Islamic banking principles since they simultaneously help to fight climate change by protecting biodiversity, reducing poverty and promoting corporate social responsibility.

Sanabel did however also add that this purchase is part of their plans to capitalise on the rapidly growing carbon trading market. This means that the company “will develop forest carbon credits projects that will protect the role of forests in mitigating climate change.”

As such Sanabel will be hoping to get companies to pay them to preserve the forestland in Congo and protect it from deforestation in return for carbon credits which help them meet their carbon reduction targets.

This is, however, where it gets a little messy.

Firstly, the carbon credit market has been widely criticised for allowing business to continue spewing lots of emissions. It turns out that buying carbon credits from schemes such as the one that Sanabel will be running is a lot cheaper and easier for businesses than actually cutting their own emissions.

So instead of protecting the environment and helping tackle global warming, these scheme just help companies continue their destructive practices.

The second issue that needs to be considered is the displacement of poor people living in these forests. For example, 70,000 indigenous people living in the western region of Gambella in Ethiopia were forced to relocate as the land had been living on was bought up by foreign investors. Saudi Star Agriculture Development was one of the companies implicated in this forced displacement.

Land ownership is a hugely contested issue and passing on ownership to a foreign government can only make the situation more complicated.

So while I’m happy to see Islamic banks consider green projects, I think they need to do better next time. They need to show that they aren’t out just to make a quick buck and also that they take their environmental responsibilities seriously.

Update March 2020: the website/Facebook page for Sanabel is down.

Images of Congo forest via bobulix/flickr.

For more on African land grab see:
Egypt to Grab Sudanese Land To Meet Its Wheat Needs
Africa Up For Sale, Is The Middle East Buying?
Arab States Buy Up Vast Tracts Of African Farmland

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Qatar is hoping to boost its food security by setting up 1,400 agricultural farms covering an area of 45,000 hectares

Following the recent news that the United Arab Emirates is slowly embracing organic farming, are more signs that the Gulf States are slowly recognising the importance of food sustainability. Qatar has announced plans to establish 1,400 farms to improve its food production and also train more people to work in the agricultural sector to improve productivity.

The announcement was made by the chairman of the Qatar National Food Security Program Mohamed Al Attiyah, who also noted that existing farms were working at only 10% of their capacity. Lack of qualified staff as well as limited funding means that the agricultural sector in Qatar is far from performing at its full potential, he added.

The new farms are hoping to help resolve this issue of productivity as they will be using the latest agricultural technology and plans are also afoot to establish educational institutions that would improve the knowledge of those working in the sector.

The work to improve food sustainability is part of a wider government programme which is hoping to create four distinct economies- namely renewable energy, water, agriculture and food. Qatar currently imports 90% of its food and the wider programme wants to change that over the next 10 years. Attiyah told the Peninsular Qatar that with issues such as climate change and water shortages, if the problem of food security is not addressed it could “pose a very serious problem for future development.”

Countries in the Middle East, particularly the Gulf States, have been criticized for their efforts to improve food security by buying up tracts of fertile land in Africa. Over the last couple of years, this worrying trend has seen a rapid increase with the UAE believed to be the third top buyer of global farmland in the world following China and South Korea.

And it’s not only Gulf states that are relying on land in Africa to grow their own food. Egypt has also being buying up land in Sudan to improve its supply of staple foods such as wheat rather than focusing on improving its own farming techniques and supporting local farms.

Let’s hope that Qatar’s plans are followed through and that the country becomes an example of how to become food secure by cultivating land at home.

: Image of farm in Qatar via Marlon Garcia/Flickr.

: The Peninsula Qatar.

For more on food sustainability in the Middle East see:

Organic Farming On The Rise in Emirates

Global Land Grabs And The Middle East

Egypt To Gran Sudanese Land To Meet Its Wheat Needs

The post Qatar To Invest In 1,4000 New Local Farms appeared first on Green Prophet.

Without its oil wealth, Saudi Arabia’s 27 million inhabitants would eventually starve. At a recent social event, the country’s Minister of Agriculture Fahd Balghunaim warned that the ratio of food and water in the kingdom is perilously out of balance.

But oil wealth currently ensures that its own population will be fed in the decades to come, as it enables the kingdom to invest huge sums to develop agriculture projects in Africa, Turkey, and elsewhere. By 2100, at least 10,ooo,ooo,ooo people will be jostling for food and other natural resources. As long as it continues to earn money from oil exports, Saudi will not get left behind.

In addition to its projected $2.5 billion investment in Ethiopia and $600 billion in Turkey’s agricultural and manufacturing sectors over the next two decades, Saudi Arabia currently spends $1 billion on food imports every month.

These ease pressure on the domestic agricultural sector, which uses up scant water resources. With desalination providing nearly 70% of its total water supply and quickly usurping its finite oil resources, the Kingdom has resorted to several plans to cut back water use.

Mr. Balghunaim said that his ministry is growing less wheat in favor of increasing less water-intensive berseem fodder production and that new irrigation methods are being explored. He also lamented that the Al-Jouf olive festival is an “extravagance of no benefit.”

An unknown company has invested $50 million to establish a center of sustainable agriculture and an international council for dates will be headquartered in Riyadh.

Since date palm trees consume considerable quantities of water, Mr. Balghunaim noted that Saudi is not interested in “going over the top with them” and that the kingdom is currently mostly concerned with packaging rather than production.

Peak oil is the kingdom’s leading nemesis. Currently 80% of its revenues are based on petroleum, which its own residents are burning at speed. Remove oil from the equation, and Saudi Arabia stands to lose so much more than just the food war.

:: Gulf in the Media

More on Saudi oil, water, and food:

Saudi Aramco 80 Year Reserves vs. German Peak Oil

Why Finnish Tap Water is Shipped To Saudi Arabia

Wikileaks: Bahrain and Saudi Concerns Over Food Prices

image via zbig photography

The post How Saudi Arabia Plans To Win The Food War appeared first on Green Prophet.

Roughly as large as Connecticut, Qatar relies almost exclusively on imports for food with only 10% of the country’s edibles produced within its own borders. Unlike other Gulf countries that are usurping African land to expand their agricultural capacity, Qatar intends to transform its own barren land into an agricultural powerhouse. According to Gulf in the Media, the National Food Security Program (NFSP) committee has established a five-stage plan to first identify and then overcome challenges to achieving food independence.

Food prices rise in tandem with oil prices, since the cost of shipping food necessarily increases. As a result, Qatar’s imported food doesn’t come cheap. To counter this problem, the country established their NFSP in 2008.

The 17-member committee will identify challenges, conduct surveys, and analyze data related to exploiting the most modern agricultural methods to render land between Doha and Al Khor arable.

Although the team expects to receive some resistance from middlemen in the current food supply chain, NFSP and its Chairman, Mohamed bin Fahad Al Attiyah, welcome input and investments from the private sector.

Widespread agricultural production in a country with few freshwater resources and an unforgiving desert climate is no easy task. Nonetheless, Qatar will invest huge sums of money on research and developing a progressive information technology hub in order to secure lower food prices.

Their four major foci will be:

• Agricultural production
• Managing and desalinating sea water
• Sustainable energy resources
• Food processing industries

“We are well on our way to making reliance on food imports a thing of the past,” Al Attiyah told the paper.

:: Gulf in the Media

More on food and the Middle East:

Gulf Countries Are Picking From Sudan’s Breadbasket

A Growing Gulf Dependent On Imported Food

Hungry Persian Gulf States Look To Fungus To Grow Crops

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