SHOULD AFRICA LEASE LAND TO FOREIGN FIRMS?

Tanzania, Madagascar, Kenya and Ethiopia are joining a growing list of countries around the world, leasing huge tracts of land to foreign corporations for agricultural use. Countries including China, Kuwait and Sweden are snapping up land in poorer nations, especially in Africa, to grow food or biofuels for use in their countries.South Korean firm Daewoo hit the headlines recently when negotiating to lease 1.3 million hectares of land in Madagascar for 99 years to grow maize and oil palm.Who benefits from such deals? Would you like to see your country hand over unused land for growing biofules and food for foreign countries? Is this another form of neoclonialism, this time leaving the land bare and ineffective after they've been used up? Or would your country's agriculture benefit from the technology transfer as being claimed? Send us your views. If you would like to join Africa Have Your Say to debate this topic LIVE on air on Tuesday 09 December at 1600 GMT, please include a telephone number. It will not be published. You can also send an SMS text message to +44 77 86 20 20 08.
Published: Monday, 8 December, 2008, 14:18 GMT 14:18 UK