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Page added on March 23, 2014
Could a global grab for fertile soil, bring civil unrest?
The estimated 1.6 billion hectares of fertile soils currently under cultivation can certainly feed the current world population.
If we still have approximately 800 million undernourished and hungry people on this planet, it is due to serious imbalances in the distribution of wealth, land and natural resources in general.
Market driven preference to allocate part of the fertile soils to producing energy or biofuels instead of food, as well as unsustainable consumption habits and market distortion in the food distribution chain, are causing the perception that our current land resources are insufficient and that we need to further expand agricultural cultivation to new areas.
It is an approach often requiring massive energy inputs, like fertilisers, irrigation and land levelling, and ultimately results in highly unsustainable agricultural models.
Buying fertile soils is certainly one of the most safe and remunerating forms of long term financial investment, given that fertile soils are a limited, non-renewable natural resource that will be more and more scarce in the future.
The close link between energy prices and food commodity prices on the global markets has been clearly demonstrated during the 2008 food crisis.
Since then we have observed a growing interest by large investors in acquiring land property rights in many parts of the world.
Buying fertile soils is certainly one of the most safe and remunerating forms of long term financial investment, given that fertile soils are a limited, non-renewable natural resource that will be more and more scarce in the future.
Rapidly progressing soil degradation processes, like erosion, organic carbon depletion, salinisation, contamination and compaction, together with massive urbanisation expanding especially on the most fertile areas of the world, is already seriously threatening the available fertile soil resources.
With a growing population, a changing climate and on-going land degradation we need to develop a common vision to preserve the available soil resources for future generations.
There needs to be a common approach to global soil resources, assuring that all humans to assure the needed food resources for nations lacking sufficient soil resources of their own, needs to be regulated in order to prevent massive displacement of populations as well as emerging conflicts.
The current trend towards ‘land grabbing’ or acquiring exclusive property rights on fertile land for assuring the needed food resources for nations lacking sufficient soil resources of their own, needs to be regulated in order to prevent massive displacement of populations as well as emerging conflicts.
Dangerous trends towards identifying soil resources as a topic of national security (soil security), therefore excluding access to those resources to populations lacking a sufficient agricultural production basis, need to be prevented.
We need to recognize that soil resources are a common natural capital sustaining the lives of all of us on this planet and need to be shared by all humans if we want to feed the world.
The recently established Global Soil Partnership aims to do this.
As a voluntary partnership of all countries and stakeholders genuinely committed to sustainable soil management, it federates the ‘coalition of the willing’ for soil protection at global level.
Through the establishment of Regional Soil Partnerships it allows for the full involvement of all local actors in this new, challenging vision of sustainable and equitable use of the available soil resources in the world.
10 Comments on "Could a global grab for fertile soil, bring civil unrest?"
Davy, Hermann, MO on Sun, 23rd Mar 2014 6:12 pm
ARTICLE SAID – The current trend towards ‘land grabbing’ or acquiring exclusive property rights on fertile land for assuring the needed food resources for nations lacking sufficient soil resources of their own, needs to be regulated in order to prevent massive displacement of populations as well as emerging conflicts.
Land production between countries is a short term phenomenon. When the global system stalls, stagnates then descends in a contraction this trends will no longer be economical nor will the ownership be maintainable. Those countries (I have read about KSA and China) purchasing land mainly in Africa (farming)or south Asia (Palm oil) will suddenly find these arrangements as shut in investment. The economics of moving the production from these arrangements to their country will not be there. The local population will be doing their own land grabbing and taking what is theirs back. In effect in many cases this is an exploitation of the local populous who get thrown off of ground farmed or grazed for centuries. I hear howls of contempt for the US and its corporate AG policies (and rightly) but these same people who hold China in such high regard never mention China’s numerous and increasing crimes. Yes, these are crimes being committed by China and the local 1%er sharks. China is participating in the whole sale buy up of much more than land for AG production. In so many areas China is building dams, mines, and development that is displacing local people. China does not care for its own rural population why should it care about Ethiopia? Do we ever hear any howling about China for this? “NO”. I thought it interesting to read China has a $3BIL loan to Ukraine for future wheat production. I read they may call the loan because of the worry over stability in Ukraine. Good luck China!!! That money is spent. I wonder where the next bad investment will pop up? These resource purchase arrangements look good on paper but will fall apart with the end of globalism.
Northwest Resident on Sun, 23rd Mar 2014 9:13 pm
“Yes, these are crimes being committed by China and the local 1%er sharks.”
I read an article not long ago that described how some Chinese company was mowing down the long strips of pristine rain growth forest along the Amazon river and planting some kind of fruit tree in the cleared areas. Needless to say, the native tribes people and the indigenous species were heavily impacted. BAU. China is desperate.
GregT on Sun, 23rd Mar 2014 9:34 pm
“The estimated 1.6 billion hectares of fertile soils currently under cultivation can certainly feed the current world population.”
Unfortunately for all of us, most of these soils are no longer fertile. They are more like sponges that we inject herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers into, to sow seeds that have been genetically modified to grow efficiently in those chemical environments.
Shaved Monkey on Sun, 23rd Mar 2014 10:23 pm
Exactly Greg T
Modern farming is just hydroponics and mineral mining.
It requires a sterile medium, fertiliser and water,then you begin mining (growing crops) and having to replace the lost minerals with more fertiliser.
With resources,time and knowledge you can grow fertile soil virtually anywhere.
You will still need to grow what’s suited to your environment though.
Makati1 on Mon, 24th Mar 2014 12:43 am
Not to mention that, in the uS farmers are an endangered species and in another 10 or so years, there will be few left who know HOW to farm, even if the soil was still useable without chemicals.
As for foreign owned land/farms. I am sure that there will be energy to import food from say, Africa to Asia, for a while, after the collapse. After all, the US imported slaves, sold by the English, and exported sugar, tobacco, etc, to England by means of sailing ships for a very long time before petroleum. It just will be more expensive.
Davy, Hermann, MO on Mon, 24th Mar 2014 1:18 am
Makati said – As for foreign owned land/farms. I am sure that there will be energy to import food from say, Africa to Asia, for a while, after the collapse. After all, the US imported slaves, sold by the English, and exported sugar, tobacco, etc, to England by means of sailing ships for a very long time before petroleum. It just will be more expensive.
Makati I doubt feeding Asia will be high on an Africans mind post collapse. He will be thinking about his own food supply. I imagine the Chinese will be told to go elsewhere.
Makati1 on Mon, 24th Mar 2014 2:29 pm
Davy, I think the Chinese army may have different plans for African grain post collapse. It is going to go to the strongest and, thanks to Western modern slavery in Africa, they (Africans) will not be able to defend themselves. After all, it will be survival of the fittest, not the richest.
It will be better there than in the US when the SHTF and those 250,000,000+ guns come out and are wielded by drugged up gangs looking for the corn fed sheeple with the survival stashes. Americans consume over half of the world’s supply of prescription drugs, enjoy the pleasure drugs by the tens of billions of dollars per year, and couldn’t run 100 yards without a heart attack. We shall see what happens, but I bet it will not be what we expect.
Davey on Mon, 24th Mar 2014 3:29 pm
Makati you should buy a book on a sic economics and military capabilities. Your in another world.
Boat on Mon, 24th Mar 2014 4:54 pm
The US is basically energy independant right now. We could easily turn a lot more grain into fuel if we quit exporting grain. Farming is easy and takes a very small amount of the population. If there is a big crash there will be a lot of turmoil and some loss of life but the US can easily feed and power itself.
Davey on Mon, 24th Mar 2014 5:44 pm
Boat I agree we could manage to feed ourselves better than most of the rest of the world but after a big transition from a system of plenty to breadlines and corn muffins
Grain to fuel has been prove to be a small niche that will eventually only work in places of comparative advantage like Iowa