Foreigners hope to reap a bounty in hungry Africa

Ethiopia, for example, is marketing its farmland to Saudi Arabia, yet the Horn of Africa nation has a history of famine and is currently combating serious drought. Under such circumstance, foreign growers planning to export food could face potential protests, even riots, from hungry locals, experts said. And even as it tries to lure the foreign investment, the government recently slapped a ban on all food exports in response to domestic shortages.

"It would be unimaginable for a foreign investor in Ethiopia now to simply ship out large amounts of grain," Von Braun said.

But he stressed that the foreign partnerships should benefit everyone by increasing worldwide food production. "We should not look at this trend with alarm. The more capital that finds its way into agriculture, the [bigger] the total pie."

Sudanese officials say the new deals will help, not exploit, their country by creating jobs, promoting commercialization, and pumping much-needed investment into its agricultural industry.

"These partnerships can help lift our farmers," said Abdadaffie Fadlalah, agricultural commissioner at Sudan's Investment Ministry.

In Sudan, like much of Africa, decades of neglect have driven down crop production per acre to just one-third the international average. Even though it boasts the confluence of the White Nile and Blue Nile rivers, only 10% of Sudan's farmland is irrigated and only 20% of its arable ground is cultivated.

Government officials see foreign investment as a means of jump-starting the sector, expanding total output and introducing cutting-edge technology, such as new seed varieties and planting methods.

By watching and sometimes participating in foreign enterprises, farmers will learn improved techniques, Sudanese officials said. And if international prices stabilize, some of the food earmarked for export will probably be sold locally, boosting domestic supplies, they added.

To lure foreign dollars, Sudan eliminated duties on imports of agricultural-related goods, such as seed, fertilizer and tractors. Exports taxes, once 30%, were also removed. The government, which owns most of Sudan's land, is granting 99-year low-cost leases.

"The government is not interested in making money," said Salah Mohammed Taha, investment director at the Agriculture Ministry. "It's interested in developing the area."

Since the beginning of the year, he said, Sudan has leased nearly 2 million acres to foreign companies.