FAO estimates that net investments to the tune of more than USD 80 billion a year are needed if food production is to keep pace with rising demand as incomes grow and population exceeds 9 billion people in 2050. Investors today are keen to capitalize on current high international food prices, and actively seek investment opportunities in developing countries, notably where natural resources abound. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows to developing countries doubled in 2006–08, but the share going to the agrifood sector is small – less than 5 percent of total FDI. The bulk of this goes to downstream activities (processing and distribution) and less than 10 percent to primary agricultural production.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
FAO Report Released: Trends and Impacts of Foreign Investment in Developing Country Agriculture – Evidence from case studies
Recently the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a United Nations organization that focues on "rais[ing] levels of nutrition, improv[ing] agricultural productivity, better[ing] the lives of rural populations and contribut[ing] to the growth of the world economy" released a report titled, Trends and Impacts of Foreign Investment in Developing Country Agriculture – Evidence from Case Studies (2013). The 378-page report available here, discusses the following: