US universities in Africa 'land grab'

[marmar]

US universities in Africa 'land grab'
Institutions including Harvard and Vanderbilt reportedly use hedge funds to buy land in deals that may force farmers out

John Vidal and Claire Provost
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 8 June 2011 20.18 BST


Harvard and other major American universities are working through British hedge funds and European financial speculators to buy or lease vast areas of African farmland in deals, some of which may force many thousands of people off their land, according to a new study.

Researchers say foreign investors are profiting from "land grabs" that often fail to deliver the promised benefits of jobs and economic development, and can lead to environmental and social problems in the poorest countries in the world.

The new report on land acquisitions in seven African countries suggests that Harvard, Vanderbilt and many other US colleges with large endowment funds have invested heavily in African land in the past few years. Much of the money is said to be channelled through London-based Emergent asset management, which runs one of Africa's largest land acquisition funds, run by former JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs currency dealers.

Researchers at the California-based Oakland Institute think that Emergent's clients in the US may have invested up to $500m in some of the most fertile land in the expectation of making 25% returns. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/08/us-universities-africa-land-grab

[no_hypocrisy]

1. They are going to ensure that more Africans starve by taking away

their chance to feed themselves.