Surviving Capitalism (Not) : The G8 and land grabs in Africa

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The G8 and land grabs in Africa

Click here to access article from Grain.

Beginning with an illustration of the difficulties of a local vender in Côte d'Ivoire, the writers provide an excellent understanding of how global agricultural corporations are grabbing lands in Africa and creating chaos in local economies.

...behind-the-scenes consultations between African officials and corporate executives are being facilitated by the World Economic Forum’s Grow Africa Partnership. The partnership’s mandate is to bring business executives from companies like Monsanto and Yara together with African governments to convert the CAADP [Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme] national plans “into increased flows of private sector investment.”