More than 70 Iowans called Saturday for the censure of Iowa Board of Regents’ president pro tem Bruce Rastetter for his role in a large-scale private agriculture deal in Tanzania at a community teach-in hosted by Occupy Ames and Occupy ISU at Ames City Hall.
Residents and students signed a petition addressed to Gov. Terry Branstad to censure Rastetter “on grounds of gross conflict of interest” for his involvement with Iowa State University and Iowa-based AgriSol Energy, a private agricultural company.
As of lately, an immense amount of controversy has surrounded the involvement of several Iowa-based partners in a highly controversial and undeniably questionable investment deal in the African country of Tanzania.
Between April 1-4, 2012, hundreds of Sierra Leonean farmers, women, youth, landowners, and elders are coming together—in what will surely be a historic event—to challenge the impact of unbridled foreign land investment, commonly known as “land grabs,” in Sierra Leone.
Unfortunately, most of the participants have no resources to cover travel and other costs. To ensure that the poorest have a voice in decision making, the Oakland Institute has pledged to raise $10,000. Please help us make this possible by donating $25, $50, $100, or more if you can.
Feb. 14 (GIN) - An Iowa school has backed out of a project that was regarded as a massive land grab in Tanzania. Over 160,000 small farmers would have been evicted under the plan.
In its announcement on Feb. 10, Iowa State University said it was tired of defending its role in the African project and its partnership with AgriSol Energy, a U.S. company run by a major university donor.
Feb. 14 (GIN) – An Iowa school has backed out of a project that was regarded as a massive land grab in Tanzania. Over 160,000 small farmers would have been evicted under the plan.
In its announcement on Feb. 10, Iowa State University said it was tired of defending its role in the African project and its partnership with AgriSol Energy, a U.S. company run by a major university donor.
In a turnabout that should remove AgriSol's last shred of credibility as a “responsible investor” in Tanzania, Iowa State University (ISU) announced in a statement on February 10, 2012 that they have withdrawn themselves entirely from ties to AgriSol and the land deal it is planning in Tanzania. From Dean Wintersteen’s statement we learned that the university is tired of spending “much of our time and energy...directed at countering misrepresentations about why and how we were involved.”
It's hard to see Iowa State University's key role in a plan by one of its top officials to develop an 800,000-acre farm in Tanzania as anything other than institutional polish to a massive African land deal for politically connected financial titans.
AgriSol’s planned investment project in Katumba and Mishamo refugee settlements in Mapnda district has suffered the first major big blow following Iowa State University (ISU)’s decision to scale back its involvement with AgriSol to an “advisory capacity,” The Guardian on Sunday has learnt.
Reframing the Debate Inspiring Action