Land Rush

Land Rush

2012, Society  -   28 Comments
8.00
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Ratings: 8.00/10 from 36 users.

In 2008, the world's food system began to fall apart. However, threatened with hunger, rich countries have started buying up and leasing fertile tracts of the developing world.

With 60% of all arable land in the world in Africa, this is where investors have firmly set their sights.

In Mali, 75% of the population are farmers, but rich, land-hungry nations like China and Saudi Arabia are leasing Mali's land in order to turn large areas into agribusiness farms.

Many Malian peasants do not welcome these efforts, seeing them as yet another manifestation of imperialism. As Mali experiences a military coup, the developers are scared off. But can Mali's farmers combat food shortages and escape poverty on their own terms?

At the time of decolonisation, Africa was self-sufficient in food and exported around 1.3 million tonnes of food every year between 1966 - 70. Today, Africa imports 25% of its food.

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Tony Korycki
Tony Korycki
4 years ago

This is a brilliant film, and a lesson on why big players like the world bank and other foreign powers should not be allowed to conspire with unaccountable elites to force market-driven neo-colonial solutions, with feudal outcomes, onto vulnerable communities.

deo
deo
4 years ago

The white bastards doing what they do... lie cheat steal destroy never ends

Maria
Maria
9 years ago

I wouldn't believe a single word those shark European corporations say. They took over all of Europe,then took over the US, in the process of taking over the Middle East, now it's Africa. When they tell those small time farmers that they can work within the company's farm, they are selling them an illusion, a dream, a lie. 12 months down the line and they'll get rid of them. But the sad reality is...there will always be those who will sell thier country for personal gain...until they get screwed themselves.

bluetortilla
bluetortilla
9 years ago

Hoooo! You're watching the White Devil in action in this one! And sugar, scourge of Haiti? As if the world needed another excess gram of damn sugar!

Helene Messina
Helene Messina
10 years ago

what a world

Emanuel Faisca
Emanuel Faisca
11 years ago

stripping people from their possessions is not a good change.
The villager got it right!
"Money doesn’t last, our land will always provide..."

Jabranpin
Jabranpin
11 years ago

Colonialism is a many headed monster, often painted as helping the perennially oppressed.

Keeping Africa subjugated for the enrichment of oppressors doesn't show any plans of stopping. There is diligent work constantly afoot to take over Africa by any means necessary.

The oppressors and their dupes (who are all to often African leaders) just can't stand to see the beauty and wealth of Africa in the hands of Africans they feel capable of successfully robbing.

Gangsters in sheep's clothing who pack their own concepts of justice, in perpetrating more crimes against humanity--are these victimizers of Africa.

These draconian swarms of colonializers offer a crumb (if that) and in return they rip out the heart, soul and futures of their innocent and often trusting victims.

Ironically, it's sometimes erroneously deemed as being for the benefit of those being ripped off.

KsDevil
KsDevil
11 years ago

I suspect this brings new light on the current conflict in Mali.

Trish House
Trish House
11 years ago

Numbers of Americans living in poverty or near poverty range in estimates from 88 million to more than a third of our total population. What we need to establish is a global constitution that puts the rights of individual man & woman as the priority. It must be the birthright of each of us to a share of the land and natural resources we need to live. These rights must be inviolate and government must be fierce and local. With the technology we have today it is possible to elevate any society to a point where there is free energy, free education, free health care and an abundance of food plus decent shelter for all. These can be supported and helped through open source knowledge sharing via an international data base.

I envision a world in which all people are free through owning their own land and right to resources. By combining their resources groups of people will reduce the work load and improve the quality of their lives while conserving resources. Ideally the world would be blanketed in self sustaining eco villages in which each person need work only 3 or 4 hours a day to provide all the basics of a high quality of life. Some extra hours per day might provide a method of travelling freely throughout the world for anyone that needs or wants to see other countries, or help other groups to improve their quality of life through innovation taught by the travellers.

It is the greed generated by the profit motive that causes trouble in the world and that is compounded by the lust for power by various types that manipulate religion so they may rule others. Part of the world constitution would insist that no group may use force to usurp the power or rights of any individual, that all people would have the time and responsibility of participating in fierce local government that insists on the wellbeing of the individuals in the community.

We must also disarm governments and corporations so that they cannot force with violence their will on any individual or group.

If freedom is the right to participate in power then the people must have under their own control the means of their survival. These may not be controlled by corporations, governments, religions, armies but must be the absolute right of every man, woman, and child on the planet.

Koit Pärn
Koit Pärn
11 years ago

They really need to take the way of permaculture. I suggest to watch "Greening the desert" by Geoff Lawton

dmxi
dmxi
11 years ago

nietzsche carved the cast for the 'übermensch' which moulded the prototype
of what 'elected' leaders should/must possess as a character virtue :selling
misanthropical acts as deeds of philanthropic nature.
no need for conspiracy theories when one observes co-operational capitalistic
facts.

Trevis Robotie
Trevis Robotie
11 years ago

......or the devil.......or the deep blue sea.....

Deborah Macaoidh Selim
Deborah Macaoidh Selim
11 years ago

Just from the beginning, how are they saying people are struggling to buy food and these are desperate times with all those TVs in the background? We all participate in it, and we know its true. If you are watching this in the woods on a VCR tape & crappy TV hooked to an old car battery generator charged by peddling a rigged broken bicycle that somebody threw away, I apologize. That statement did not apply to you, if you ever read this in the future when it's no longer a problem. The rest of us suck. Future sociologists, have at us.

freelyassociated97
freelyassociated97
11 years ago

how about the balls on this sugar guy? not any shockingly new behavior patterns for a PLANTATION owner, but something that struck me for so many reasons, was this pumpoff justifying chopping down the trees because in 6 years the women will have new young trees and not the old ones! good thing multi-national corporations know how to develop healthy eco-systems better than the earth. as if nature hasn't been renewing these trees in a healthy cycle for these women for millena by itself. what a pin-dick. thank god for this white savior bringing the "beauty of... a new class..." into the fold of the almighty progress of value(slave) economies. oh and thanks to your pube cohorts. isn't the state great!

as_above
as_above
11 years ago

man owns the land like a flee owns the dog

wald0
wald0
11 years ago

I just got into to it with someone on this site because they were trying to push the Ayn Ryand philosophy that helping others makes them weak and that if we make everyone equal there will be no reason for anyone to truly shine, etc., etc. Well here is exactly where that kind of thinking leads us, to taking the lands and resources of the weaker. What makes me even more sick is that we can't just do it, we have to try and convince them and ourselves that we are somehow doing what "should" be done, what is "best" for everyone. Even when they do resort to outright violence they do so by paying locals to actually commit the acts, usually. What is more scary than a wolf, a wolf in sheep's clothing. It reminds me of the classic dysfunctional western family, how the mom is always so oblivious to the unbelievable evil taking place right in her own home. That's how most of us Americans are, totally oblivious to just how evil our government has become on the world stage.

I loved it when the guy said, and I paraphrase "....white man knows the value of money, white man made the money, if he offers me money for my land, my land must be worth more than his money" Now that is logic, pure logic- and he is right. Don't tell me these people are not capable of critical thinking or can't figure out how to best use their own land for their own advantage, this man is smarter than most I meet here in the so called "developed world".

dmxi
dmxi
11 years ago

doc's like these help to locate the root cause & not just the symptoms...worth watching even for the mildly interested.

Imightberiding
Imightberiding
11 years ago

So much I want to say regarding the North American & World economy, multi-national conglomerates, colonialism, politics & military action.

... "they're the ones (white men) who made it (money) & they offer lots of money for our land. They don't offer more land for our land. Then our land is worth more than their money."

"You try to sell me happiness & I say: 'No' You offer it a second time & I say: 'No' The third time you ask: 'Why not here where you live?' In fact, you are offering something that will make you happy, not me."

If you are wondering if this film is worth your time? Spend it!

David Ewer
David Ewer
11 years ago

So now we know why there is conflict in Mali and why French military and air force are active in the region. Colonialism is alive and kicking in Saharan Africa and the indigenous people are as always bearing the brunt. The Malian state are in league with rich nations and treat the ordinary folk and environment with contempt.
Hardly surprising there's been a news-blackout during the conflict.
Well worth watching.

Trish
Trish
11 years ago

This is a damn shame