‘Reap What You Have not Sown’, ‘Architect of Poverty’: The Political Economy of Biodiversity Patenting in Africa

Abstract

1 <sandramalic@yahoo.com>, 2 <danicam@gef.bg.ac.rs>, 3 <msibinovic@gef.bg.ac.rs>, 4 <mmartinovic@gef.bg.ac.rs>, 5 <igor_miscevic@yahoo.co.uk>, 6 <abosa315@yahoo.ca>, 7 <ibrahimosabri@yahoo.com>ABSTRACT This paper reviews the findings of the study carried out in Srem region, to establish whether nonpermanent population mobility is a phenomenon of social, economic, and demographic significance for the region itself and a country as a whole. This well-known immigration area in Serbia was inhabited for centuries because of its specific economic and political reasons, and recently became one of the most important regions in the country in terms of commuting process of commuting. Very intensive absorption of commuters is the result of the economic development regarding the new investments in this region. Agrarian settlements became a base for the labor force in recent period. The aim of the paper is to highlight how commuting correlates with economic development. Anthropologist, 31(1-3):

Implications of Land Grabbing and Resource Curse for Sustainable Development Goal 2 in Africa: Can Globalization Be Blamed?

“…Land grabbing and the resource curse are not new in Africa. Africa has long continually suffered from these contemporary issues, which partly contribute to the misery of hunger in Africa [11]. Land grabbing is simply the practice of large-scale land acquisition by individuals, entities, governments, international organizations, and foreigners for speculation, investment, commodification, and resource control purposes [3].…”

“…Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) was proposed as part of globalization policy to end hunger by 2030 [9]. However, Africa seems to lack the capacity to achieve this goal, despite the description of Africa as a raw material continent [10,11]. The inability of Africa to feed its populations and end hunger despite the huge availability of arable landed resources, and the deliberate leasing or allocation of lands to foreign partners to boost food production in Africa raises some serious questions, such as: why is Africa still faced with the problem of hunger?…”

“…Collective action on climate to boost food security and protect lives, the influx of multinational corporations (MNCs), and corporate social responsibility (CSR) to partner and engage in the transformation of African communities and assist in the best possible ways to boost food security in Africa, among others, are essential features of globalization [12,13]. However, the reality in most African countries shows that many developed countries, international organizations, and international non-governmental organizations, as well as global financial institutions or partners, have deployed the deceptive strategy of land grabbing, foreign aid, and assistance to impoverished Africa [14,15] The displacement of 15,000 Ugandans described in [16] to pave way for the planting of timber to mitigate climate change problems by New Forests, a British company, under the auspices of the United Nations Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) program is one amongst numerous examples of land grabs and displacement problems in Africa [11,17]. It raises the question as to whether the same dispossession of land and displacement can take place in the US or China [18], and the answer is that it could not happen, even though the US itself was created due to land dispossession [19].…”

“…Similarly, the West, especially the United States, through its dominance in organizations such as the UN, WHO, World Bank, FAO, IMF, and WTO, has imposed Western-oriented policies that have consistently made Africa's economy dependent on the West [10,27]. The policy of collective action on climate change may look good on paper, but many African countries lack the capacity to procure technology for the timely detection and prevention of climate change impacts, hence Africa's current dependent status [11,28]. The policy outcomes or goals of these Western-oriented policies do not always 'trickle down' to local communities in Africa [11,29].…”

“…The policy of collective action on climate change may look good on paper, but many African countries lack the capacity to procure technology for the timely detection and prevention of climate change impacts, hence Africa's current dependent status [11,28]. The policy outcomes or goals of these Western-oriented policies do not always 'trickle down' to local communities in Africa [11,29]. For example, the erection of sophisticated machines to control, detect, and mitigate harsh climatic conditions often leads to the displacement of indigenous people and the dispossession of their lands with little or no compensation [30].…”