I wrote about this back in September.  This is a new trend and I believe it will become a new form of economic colonialism.
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The Gulf state has joined a growing list of rich countries that want to grow food in poor countries
Qatar has asked Kenya to lease it 40,000 hectares of land to grow crops as part of a proposed package that would also see the Gulf state fund a new £2.4bn port on the popular tourist island of Lamu off the east African country.
The deal is the latest example of wealthy countries and companies trying to secure food supplies from the developing world.
Other Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have also been negotiating leases of large tracts of farmland in countries such as Sudan and Senegal since the global food shortages and price rises earlier this year.
The Kenyan president, Mwai Kibaki, returned from a visit to Qatar on Monday. His spokesman said the request for land in the Tana river delta, south of Lamu, in north-east Kenya was being seriously considered.
“Nothing comes for free,” said Isaiah Kabira. “If you want people to invest in your country then you have to make concessions.”
But the deal is likely to cause concern in Kenya where fertile land is unequally distributed. Several prominent political families own huge tracts of farmland, while millions of people live in densely packed slums.
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– Hat tip to Cryptogon for the story