Capitalism cops the most scrutiny as Pearce describes Saudi oil billionaires snapping up land for agribusiness in Ethopia, Christian evangelists preaching to the natives in Kenya while draining their wetlands, and bulldozers flattening Asian forests so Westerners can have cheap paper and sugar. Even New Zealand's Crafar Farms warrant a mention.
The corporations bring in big profits but contribute little to the country in return, while locals often find their ancestral lands sold out from under them. In the meantime the gap between rich and poor continues to widen. "Will they feed the world," says Pearce, "or just the bottom line?"
