You can trust neither the rainy season sky nor babies’ bottoms. [Ethiopia] 

Ethiopians have been farming for millennia. They have also faced severe food shortages for about as long. Reliance on natural rainfall for farming is at times similar to gambling in a casino – except with literally deadly consequences when one loses. This begs the question of why these people who have historically innovated in all manners of technology have not been able to simply copy modern agricultural methods from others to achieve food security in recent times. 

If you haven’t heard already they are about to do so. Well sort of; they are going to start by using their land and labor to achieve food security for the Saudi’s first. They are not alone. Since 2004, 2.5 million hectares of African land has been snapped up by the wealthy of our world. That is equivalent to 138 farms the size of the largest one in the world located in north western Canada. The pace of land acquisition is accelerating in 2009 and the scramble is on. But who are the combatants and what do they really want? 

In a community of beggars, stealing and not begging, is considered a crime. [Ghana] 

Kofi Annan has a new job. He is leading AGRA, The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.