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Ensuring that potential Gulf farmland investments in developing countries are pro-poor and sustainable

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Abstract

This paper provides an overview of Gulf investments in foreign farmland, mainly in developing countries, and the motivation behind these investments. The literature suggests that private entities in Gulf countries are engaging in these investments for portfolio diversification, while Gulf governments are investing to ensure food security challenges resulting from the limited agricultural resources of these countries. The paper also discusses examples of farmland investments in Sudan, Indonesia and Pakistan, and their consequences. The main recommendation is the need to ensure that these investments provide positive externalities to the host countries and local communities involved, in order to ensure the continuity and acceptability of these investments.

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Notes

  1. GCC countries include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

  2. One step would be to develop a voluntary ‘code of conduct’ to guide socially responsible investment. For details, see the paper “International investments in developing country agriculture: issues and challenges” by David Hallam, elsewhere in this issue.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, American University of Beirut, P.O. Box 11-0236, Riad El-Solh, Beirut, 1107 2020, Lebanon

    Rami Zurayk, Jad Chaaban & Alia Sabra

  2. Environmental Scientist, Lion street, Shatila Building, Beirut, Lebanon

    Alia Sabra

Authors
  1. Rami Zurayk
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  2. Jad Chaaban
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  3. Alia Sabra
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Correspondence to Rami Zurayk.

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Zurayk, R., Chaaban, J. & Sabra, A. Ensuring that potential Gulf farmland investments in developing countries are pro-poor and sustainable. Food Sec. 3 (Suppl 1), 129–137 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-010-0107-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-010-0107-y

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