DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - I see investment in Africa as great but The Guardian trashes it.

**NanoGordeno** · 03-08-2010, 08:57 PM

1. The reality is tiny subsistence plot farms are not economically viable and won't result in new jobs and likely aren't productive enough to support even one family.

We're talking about communities who managed to sustain themselves for centuries before international aid came along. People who will have to survive even after the land is sold.

2. The goal here is to grow what makes the most value added and thus the most profit. If that's coffee and biofuels then great as the profits can then be used to buy other things off the world market. Or do you think Japan shouldn't convert farm land to car factories because it should be 100% food self sufficient? The truth is using the land for what ever purpose makes the most money is economically speaking the best move. Japan isn't Africa. The modern Japanese government isn't noted for its willingness to watch ethnic minorities starve- unlike Ethiopia and Sudan, who feature in the article you criticise.

What's good for the governments of these nations isn't necessarily good for the people.

3. That was a quote from the Ethiopian government which supposedly does pay fair compensation though I don't see how this is different from any other use of imminent domain by governments.
If it really was a good price, why opt for neo-Marxist land grabs? Let the market work.

03-08-2010, 08:57 PM	#7
NanoGordeno Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 414 Senior Member	1. The reality is tiny subsistence plot farms are not economically viable and won't result in new jobs and likely aren't productive enough to support even one family. We're talking about communities who managed to sustain themselves for centuries before international aid came along. People who will have to survive even after the land is sold. 2. The goal here is to grow what makes the most value added and thus the most profit. If that's coffee and biofuels then great as the profits can then be used to buy other things off the world market. Or do you think Japan shouldn't convert farm land to car factories because it should be 100% food self sufficient? The truth is using the land for what ever purpose makes the most money is economically speaking the best move. Japan isn't Africa. The modern Japanese government isn't noted for its willingness to watch ethnic minorities starve- unlike Ethiopia and Sudan, who feature in the article you criticise. What's good for the governments of these nations isn't necessarily good for the people. 3. That was a quote from the Ethiopian government which supposedly does pay fair compensation though I don't see how this is different from any other use of imminent domain by governments. If it really was a good price, why opt for neo-Marxist land grabs? Let the market work.
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