SOME LAND GRAB FACTS
In 2010 up to 123.5 million acres of African land — double the size of Britain — have been snapped up or is being negotiated by governments or wealthy investors.
Ethiopia alone has approved 815 foreign-financed agricultural projects since 2007
Oxfam International reported that Asian and Middle East companies had bought up 560 million acres of farmland in developing countries, often at bargain prices, with some reportedly less than $1 a hectare.
Ethiopia now supports the export of fruit and vegetables worth $60 million annually, as well as flowers worth $160 million per year. Meanwhile, most of the indigenous population receives foreign food aid.
Rich Arab states like Saudi Arabia have bought up huge tracts of land across Africa in recent years in a bid to combat global food shortages, water scarcity and desertification and to feed their swelling populations.