Nigeria, Aug. 31 -- In the late 2000s, global food price volatility prompted Gulf countries to seek secure agricultural breadbaskets abroad to shield their populations from future supply shocks. Under this global rush for land, the Federal Government of Ethiopia positioned itself as a primary destination by establishing a centralised "federal land bank." This strategy placed hundreds of thousands of hectares of fertile, indigenous land at the disposal of corporate foreign investors under the promise of rapid national development.

Promoted as a crown jewel of the King Abdullah Initiative for Saudi Agricultural Investment Abroad, Saudi Star Agricultural Development Plc acquired a massive land portfolio spanning 14,020 hectares across the G...