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<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US port strike on the East and Gulf Coasts could threaten farm exports amid harvest season.</li><li>The National Grain and Feed Association warned of supply chain disruptions and lower farmgate prices.</li></ul>The US port strike at <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/consumer-products-most-likely-to-be-impacted-by-port-strike-2024-9">East and Gulf Coast</a> ports isn't just impacting bananas and consumer imports into the country — it could hurt America's farm exports too.The industrial action comes just as US farmers are harvesting their crops in a bumper season weeks ahead of the presidential election.On Friday, the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.ngfa.org/2024/09/27/ngfa-leads-effort-to-address-a-trifecta-of-transportation-trouble-affecting-agriculture/">National Grain and Feed Association, or NGFA,</a> CEO Mike Seyfert warned that the strike could have devastating impact on the industry."The last thing NFGA members or the agricultural community can afford right now is a breakdown in any part of our nation's shipping network," he said.About 40% of the US' agricultural exports shipped in containers move through the East and Gulf Coast ports, according to a Friday <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.ngfa.org/wp-content/uploads/Rail/Ag-Letter-on-Shipping-Disruptions.pdf">letter</a> from the association to the White House sent ahead of the industrial action.The association that represented 200 farm groups had warned of an impact on the supply chain that would "quickly reverberate throughout the agricultural economy, shutting down operations and potentially lowering farmgate prices."Seyfert told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/weekly-agriculture/2024/09/30/ag-braces-for-port-strike-00181624">Politico</a> on Friday that while some farm exports can be moved to the West Coast for shipping, there's probably not enough capacity there."You're going to see increased shipping cost," he said, adding that this would impact agribusinesses and producers.To be sure, agricultural commodities are typically shipped in bulk carriers rather than in container ships, so the strike wouldn't impact most wheat, maize and, soybeans exports, wrote Joseph Glauber, a senior research fellow at the DC-based International Food Policy Research Institute in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.ifpri.org/blog/the-likely-u-s-longshoreman-strike-and-its-implications-for-agricultural-trade/">Monday report.</a>However, US meat, dairy, and poultry exports could be disrupted, hitting developing countries hard, wrote Glauber. About half, or $7.15 billion worth, of beef, pork, poultry, dairy, and egg exports to development countries last year were exported via the East and Gulf Coast ports, according to Glauber. This excludes exports to Mexico, much of which is shipped via truck or train."A prolonged strike would force importers to seek alternative supplies, either from West Coast ports or other countries," wrote Glauber. "US meat, dairy, and poultry exports are especially vulnerable. Some of the costs of higher transport costs would be borne by importers (through higher prices). US producers would also lose through lower prices."Logistics experts told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/port-strike-could-wreck-us-economy-with-price-increases-scarcity-2024-10">Business Insider's Tim Paradis</a> that the port strike could damage the US economy badly.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/10/01/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-the-negotiations-between-usmx-and-the-international-longshoremens-association/">President Joe Biden</a> on Tuesday urged ports employers group United States Maritime Alliance to present a fair offer to the International Longshoremen's Association, which represents the striking workers."Executive compensation has grown in line with those profits and profits have been returned to shareholders at record rates," said Biden. "It's only fair that workers, who put themselves at risk during the pandemic to keep ports open, see a meaningful increase in their wages as well."

The US port strike isn't just hitting imports. America's farmers could be hurt, too.

<keyword id="19919396" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tripura" source="keywords">Tripura</keyword> Agriculture and Farmers Welfare <keyword id="19914583" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Minister" source="keywords">Minister</keyword> Ratan Lal Nath on Thursday said that within the next few months, drone technology will be integrated with the state's agriculture sector to address certain challenges. The members of <keyword id="22212826" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="womens-self-help-groups" source="keywords">women's self-help groups</keyword> (SHGs) will get the best possible training so that they can operate the drones effectively for different purposes such as <keyword id="22212827" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="spraying-fertilisers" source="keywords">spraying fertilisers</keyword> and pesticides in fruit and flower gardens. Speaking to after the inauguration of the new Agriculture Development Research and Training Centre at Killa under the Gomati district of Tripura, Nath said, "The central government has launched the scheme called drone Didi which is especially for women. Soon after the scheme was launched, a state committee was constituted. As per the recommendations of the committee, drones will be sent to the agriculture sub-divisions." According to Nath, the appointment of trainers has already been done who will impart training to the SHG members. "The trainers are already recruited. We hope within the next two months drones will reach each of the 47 agri-subdivisions," he added. The Minister also announced that a special scheme has been undertaken to appoint "Krishi Sakhis (Friends of Farmers)" who provide agriculture-related solutions to the farmers in the rural areas. "One sakhi (friend) will be appointed for one rural local body such as Gram panchayats and Village Committees. We have forwarded the proposal to the central government. If we get the approval, the process of appointing Sakhis will be started immediately." On the agricultural infrastructure he inaugurated, Nath said, "We are setting up new infrastructure in all agri subdivisions. This is a new training center set up for the farmers of the area. All the officials, trainers, and experts will come here and speak to the farmers. Arrangements have also been made for video conferencing." SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-and-airtel-price-hike-new-plans-and-how-you-can-save-money/articleshow/111331794.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-and-airtel-price-hike-new-plans-and-how-you-can-save-money/articleshow/111331794.cms" target="_blank">Reliance Jio and Airtel price hike – new plans and how you can save money</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/allied-blenders-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/111317150.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/allied-blenders-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/111317150.cms" target="_blank">Allied Blenders IPO allotment – How to check allotment, IPO GMP, listing date and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/webstories/upcoming-smartphones-launching-in-india-in-july-2024/slidelist/111304902.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/webstories/upcoming-smartphones-launching-in-india-in-july-2024/slidelist/111304902.cms" target="_blank">Upcoming smartphones launching in India in July 2024</a>

Tripura to introduce drones for agriculture purposes, says Minister

<ul class="summary-list"><li>European farmers have blocked roads and sprayed government buildings with manure in recent weeks.</li><li>They're rallying against the European Union's "Green Deal" and soaring inflation.</li></ul>Europe's farmers aren't happy — and they're using tractors, tires and manure to show it.In recent weeks they've been taking to the streets over a string of grievances, including the European Union's efforts to go climate-neutral and high inflation that's pushed up their costs.As well as protests in the center of cities such as Paris and Barcelona, farmers have blocked major roads with their tractors and even taken to setting hay bales alight and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.france24.com/en/video/20240125-en-grab-french-farmers">spraying liquid manure</a> at government buildings to show their displeasure.<div type="image" title="Farmers have captured France's attention by showering government offices with manure and besieging Paris with traffic-snarling barricades of tractors and hay bales." height="5623" width="8435" msid="107556138" hostid="261" sizebytes="2258940"></div><h2>What are the farmers angry about?</h2>The main source of discontent is the <a target="_blank" href="https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en">Green Deal</a>, the European Union's initiative to make Europe "climate neutral" by 2050.Russia's invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago fueled double-digit inflation across the continent, with the cost of everything from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pope-francis-global-food-crisis-russia-black-sea-grain-deal-2023-7">grain</a> to <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/diesel-prices-soar-supply-crisis-gas-station-rationing-inflation-2022-5">diesel</a> soaring.Farmers say their profits aren't high enough to justify investing in sustainable agriculture and say they need more help from the EU, despite it setting aside about $300 billion of aid over the next three years.<div type="image" title="Farmers in Italy protest the EU's agricultural policies." height="5122" width="7682" msid="107556140" hostid="261" sizebytes="1365856"></div>They're also rallying against the EU decision to sign free-trade agreements with other countries, including New Zealand, <a target="_blank" href="https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2024/02/08/could-the-eus-trade-deal-with-kenya-strengthen-the-african-continental-free-trade-area/">Kenya</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-29/macron-asks-eu-s-von-der-leyen-to-stop-mercosur-trade-deal">South America's Mercosur group</a>, arguing that those deals will allow overseas farmers to undercut their prices.<h2>How are they protesting?</h2>Protesters across the continent have marched under banners reading "no farmers, no food" to show their opposition to the EU's agricultural policies.Last week, the situation escalated when farmers from Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, and Greece all gathered at the European Parliament in Brussels where they <a target="_blank" href="https://time.com/6632372/farmer-protests-europe-france-germany-brussels/">set bonfires and hurled eggs</a> at EU offices.<div type="image" title="Farmers gather to protest outside the European Parliament in Brussels." height="3335" width="5000" msid="107556144" hostid="261" sizebytes="706576"></div>Over the past few days, further protests have broken out in Barcelona, where tractors have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/spanish-farmers-blockade-roads-second-day-against-eu-policies-2024-02-07/">clogged up key roads</a>, and Cyprus, where farmers <a target="_blank" href="https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/farmers-rev-up-tractors-in-protest-against-eu-agricultural-policies">took to the streets</a> for the third time in eight months.They've also dumped tires on roads in France to demand government aid worth hundreds of millions of euros.<div type="image" title="Tires dumped on a road in Vesoul, eastern France." height="683" width="1024" msid="107556148" hostid="261" sizebytes="117402"></div><h2>How has the EU responded?</h2>The EU said Wednesday that it would scrap plans to force farmers to halve their pesticide use by 2030 — one contentious element of the Green Deal.It's also tweaked the constraints imposed by a key nature-restoration policy and punted on a requirement to force farmers to leave more of their land fallow.<div type="image" title="Farmers in Strasbourg protest the EU's anti-pesticides proposal." height="4002" width="6000" msid="107556150" hostid="261" sizebytes="572368"></div>But EU president Ursula von der Leyden has doubled down on plans to cut emissions by 90% by 2040, suggesting that she's gearing up for a longer-term fight with the agricultural sector. Politicians have been reluctant to join her in that battle.French president Emmanuel Macron has publicly rebuked the EU deal with Mercosur, likely in a bid to quell protests at home, while right-wing leaders like Hungary's Viktor Orban have stoked tensions in a bid to boost their anti-green and anti-EU credentials."The government stands together with the farmers and not against them," Cyprus' agriculture minister Maria Panayiotou said this week after protests broke out in the capital, Nicosia.Farming subsidies accounted for almost a third of the EU's budget in 1980, but that proportion has now fallen to just under a quarter.

Angry European farmers are blocking freeways with tractors and spraying manure on buildings over green push

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ahmed Sourani of Gaza came to the UN climate summit to accept a $1 million prize for his nonprofit.</li><li>He said the money will go to emergency food aid and rebuilding small farms when the war ends. </li></ul>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Ahmed Sourani was physically in Dubai, but his mind was in Gaza.The founder of a nonprofit that promotes local food production and women-owned businesses traveled to this year's UN climate summit to accept a $1 million sustainability prize from the United Arab Emirates.Back home, his wife, children, and grandchildren were in the south of Gaza in shelters, having fled from the northern part of the strip that's <a target="_blank" href="https://sheltercluster.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/public/docs/SC-PC%20Joint%20advocacy%20note_241123-1.pdf?VersionId=kPEn3lsQx.2lA5.f5YXzNV3vuWmntrxi">largely been reduced to rubble</a> by the Israeli military's bombardments."We are praying all the time for a lasting ceasefire," Sourani, founder and general coordinator of Gaza Urban and Periurban Agriculture Platform, told Business Insider over Zoom. "That's our most important wish."The Israel-Hamas war erupted after the militant group Hamas and other Palestinian fighters attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 civilians, according to Israeli authorities. Israel has responded with a now two-month-long air and ground campaign that has killed more than 17,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians and many of them children, according to Gazan health officials.<div type="image" title="UN workers gesture as trucks carrying aid arrive at the Palestinian side of the border with Egypt, as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, October 21, 2023." height="2496" width="3744" msid="105912529" hostid="261" sizebytes="276328"></div>Israel has pushed into southern Gaza, where millions of residents were previously told to evacuate. Hospitals, refugee camps, and schools have all been hit by bombing, and Gazans are in desperate need of food, water, and shelter, humanitarian groups say."Nowhere is safe in Gaza," United Nations Secretary General <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW1HFaHcl0c">Antonio Guterres said</a>. He <a target="_blank" href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/12/1144447">invoked a rarely used power, known as Article 99</a>, to call on the 15-member UN Security Council to vote for a ceasefire. But the US for the third time blocked the resolution on Friday, the sole veto. The UK abstained and 13 other countries voted in favor.Even before the war, the majority of Gazans struggled to find food on a daily basis and relied on aid distributed by the UN, Sourani said. Most farming in the densely populated strip is done on small plots in urban areas or just outside the cities.Israel has maintained tight control over the territory through a land, air, and sea blockade since 2007, after Hamas was elected to power, while Egypt controls the southern border. Israel provides half of the Gaza Strip's electricity and there are restrictions on the movement of people and goods.<h2>Food insecurity is a constant problem in Gaza</h2>Sourani said the food insecurity crisis is why he founded the Gaza Urban and Periurban Agriculture Platform six years ago. The nonprofit has helped expand access to local food and boost incomes for family farmers, particularly women.Before the war, there were about 3,000 micro-agricultural businesses led by women, such as crop and animal production and food processing, Sourani said. The nonprofit works on developing more markets in grocery stores and malls, securing quality control certificates for their products, and providing opportunities for women to network and speak with policymakers."We need to help women restore their enterprises and the thousands of families who are in need of food, especially those who are displaced in the shelters," Sourani said.He estimated that at least 50% of those enterprises have been completely or partially destroyed during the war, with hundreds of millions of dollars lost.Sourani said it was a difficult decision to leave Gaza to accept the Zayed Sustainability Prize, but he had the support of his family and help from the UAE and its humanitarian arm, the Emirates Red Crescent, to get to Dubai.He felt it was important to share the mission of the Gaza Urban and Periurban Agriculture Platform and be a voice for Palestine at the UN summit attended by more than 100,000 world leaders, foreign diplomats, corporate executives, reporters, and activists.Palestine can speak at UN meetings, but <a target="_blank" href="https://www.un.org/unispal/history/">has non-member observer status</a> and therefore can't vote on resolutions — including on the war in Gaza.<h2>Protests spill into the UN summit in Dubai</h2>The war has at times spilled into the UN climate summit, known as COP28, including during the first days as world leaders arrived to give speeches. The Iranian delegation left Dubai in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.irna.ir/news/85308217/%D9%87%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%87%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%84-%DA%A9%D9%86%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3-%D8%AA%D8%BA%DB%8C%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D8%B1%DA%A9-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF">protest of Israel's presence</a>. On Saturday, hundreds of climate activists, many wearing the black and white checkered keffiyeh and holding up watermelon signs that are both symbols of Palestinians, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-activists-join-palestinian-cause-during-rare-protest-in-dubai-2023-12">marched through Expo City</a> where the summit is being hosted. They called for a ceasefire and an end to Israel's occupation of Palestine.<div type="image" title="Protesters march at the UN climate summit in Dubai." height="3024" width="4032" msid="105912530" hostid="261" sizebytes="887804"></div>"We cannot talk about climate change in isolation from the humanitarian tragedies unfolding around us," Jordanian King Abdullah II said during his speech at the start of COP28. "The massive destruction of war makes the environmental threats of water scarcity and food insecurity even more severe."Palestinians have little say over land and water resources, Sourani said, which is why climate justice is so important.He said the prize money awarded to the Gaza Urban and Periurban Agriculture Platform will be used for emergency response to help distribute food aid to the 1.9 million Gazans – or 85% of the population – <a target="_blank" href="https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/unrwa-situation-report-47-situation-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-jerusalem-information-valid-6-december-2023-2230-local-time-day-61-hostilities-published-8-december-2023-enar#:~:text=Since%207%20October%2C%20up%20to,again%20in%20search%20of%20safety.">who've been displaced by the war</a> and to help women restore their businesses when the war is over."The world is thirsty for real and just peace," Sourani said.

As hunger worsens in Gaza, one man wants to help local farmers feed families

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Australian sheep industry is facing a crisis as farmers cull and give away sheep for nothing.</li><li>Record rainfall has seen the sheep population boom, but sent mutton prices tumbling. </li></ul>Australian farmers have more sheep than they can cope with and are culling livestock or giving them away for nothing, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/23/australia-farmers-are-giving-sheep-away-for-free.html">CNBC</a> reported.Three years ago the number of sheep was at an 100-year low. However, heavy rains have meant plenty of grass and the number of sheep has jumped to about 78 million – the highest since 2007, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mla.com.au/prices-markets/Trends-analysis/sheep-projections/">Meat and Livestock Australia.</a>The population boom has caused problems for farmers. Over the past year, the oversupply has pushed mutton prices down by 75% to their lowest level in 16 years, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-07/australia-s-sheep-farmers-in-crisis-as-live-export-ban-looms">Bloomberg</a>.With some slaughterhouses at full capacity, farmers are now culling or even giving away sheep for nothing to try to reduce the cost of rearing their flocks.Steve McGuire, vice-president of WAFarmers, an agricultural advocacy group, told CNBC that farmers have suffered a "massive fall in profitability. Many sheep may not have a market, which could lead to farmers destroying animals."The sheep population is expected to plateau in 2024, per Meat and Livestock Australia, which is expected to reduce pressure on farmers as the slaughterhouse backlog eases.However, the threat of drought as summer arrives presents another challenge for the industry. With an El Niño weather pattern approaching, drought could limit grain production and once again leave farmers with more sheep than they can feed, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/sep/03/livestock-prices-plummet-as-australian-farmers-prepare-for-drought">The Guardian reported</a>.Australia is one of the world's leading exporters of lamb and the current crisis has pushed global wholesale meat prices down.The US is Australia's largest market by value for lamb. However, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.r-calfusa.com/protect-american-lamb-seeks-import-relief/">sheep ranchers</a> from 15 states have recently moved to limit imports, arguing that Australian lamb has "decimated the United States commercial sheep industry."

Australia has so many sheep that some farmers are culling their flocks or giving them away

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Three years after he criticized Chinese regulators, Alibaba's cofounder Jack Ma is still lying low.</li><li>His words angered Beijing and precipitated a crackdown on his business empire.</li></ul>The Alibaba cofounder <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inspiring-life-story-of-alibaba-founder-jack-ma-2017-2#in-2005-yahoo-invested-1-billion-in-alibaba-in-exchange-for-about-a-40-stake-in-the-company-this-was-huge-for-alibaba-at-the-time-it-was-trying-to-beat-ebay-in-china-and-it-would-eventually-be-an-enormous-win-for-yahoo-too-netting-it-10-billion-in-alibabas-ipo-alone-14">Jack Ma</a> was once the invincible poster boy of Chinese tech.Outspoken and flamboyant, the tech entrepreneur was everywhere, appearing in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2017/06/21/alibabas-jack-ma-we-should-focus-on-customers-not-money.html">media</a> and at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2019/08/29/people-should-work-three-days-a-week-four-hours-a-day-jack-ma.html">conferences</a> as well as headlining <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/breaking-down-alibaba-annual-meeting-watch-ceo-jack-ma-michael-jackson-impression-2017-9">company events</a>.Savvy and outgoing — remember that time he danced to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jack-ma-alibaba-dance-michael-jackson-2017-9">Michael Jackson</a> in front of thousands of people? — Ma charmed millions across the globe by appearing to be the antithesis of the typical straitlaced Chinese executive keen to toe the Communist Party line. In short, Ma — a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alibaba-jack-ma/alibabas-jack-ma-is-a-communist-party-member-china-state-paper-reveals-idUSKCN1NW073/">party member</a> himself — appeared more American than Chinese.But after Ma criticized Chinese regulators, he <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jack-ma-other-chinese-businessmen-disappeared-public-life-2021-1">disappeared from the public eye</a> in late 2020, and Beijing cracked down on his businesses. Like many other Chinese CEOs before him, Ma vanished after falling from the party's favor, proving nobody is above the regime of China's leader, Xi Jinping.Since his run-in with Beijing, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jack-ma-hong-kong-resurfaces-meets-finance-execs-2023-1">Ma's whereabouts</a> and what he's been up to have been the stuff of widespread public speculation and global media headlines — originating from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jack-ma-appears-resurface-thailand-gives-up-control-ant-group-2023-1">social-media posts</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jack-ma-alibaba-founder-back-china-anger-beijing-disappear-public-2023-3">unannounced visits</a>, and unnamed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alibaba-jack-ma-tokyo-japan-china-beijing-tech-crackdown-2022-11">source tip-offs</a>.Now, it appears Ma is debuting a refreshed version of himself, in what you just might call Jack Ma 3.0.<h2>Jack Ma 1.0: A struggling teacher who wanted in on the tech scene</h2>It's easy to understand why Ma is so popular in the US and China alike. A classic rags-to-riches tale, Ma's life story resonates well with the masses.Ma, whose birth name was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alibaba-jack-ma-packaged-food-ready-meals-china-tech-crackdown-2023-11">Ma Yun</a>, was born to a poor family in Hangzhou, China.He didn't excel in school. He failed his college entrance exams twice before passing on his third try and entering Hangzhou Teachers Institute.After graduating from college in 1988, he famously applied to dozens of jobs — with an equal number of rejections, including from KFC — before he was finally hired as an English teacher.Ma has said he <a target="_blank" href="https://www.scmp.com/tech/leaders-founders/article/1819573/alibabas-jack-ma-happier-making-us12-month-living-billionaire">loved his job</a> — but it paid only $12 a month. He's also been open about the failures he's encountered throughout his career."As a young boy — even today — I never thought I would be here," Ma said at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/30/jack-ma-dont-fear-making-mistakes-in-your-20s-and-30s.html">World Economic Forum</a> in Davos, Switzerland, in 2018. "When I look back, every problem I met when I was a kid benefited me."He started his own business in translation services in 1994, and after a business trip to the US in 1995, he launched a digital business in the early days of the internet.His first business — China Pages — failed, but he gathered a band of 17 friends in 1999 to set up Alibaba. The site they launched allowed exporters to list their products directly on the platform, ushering China into the e-commerce era.Even though Ma is arguably the most successful internet entrepreneur of this generation, he started Alibaba with no knowledge of marketing or computers.But his start as a teacher taught him how to rally the troops, identify and cultivate talent, delegate work, and chart the direction for Alibaba, he said at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/20/working-as-a-teacher-taught-alibabas-jack-ma-this-business-skill.html">Davos in 2018</a>."He was more of a teacher than a manager," Brian Wong, the 52nd employee of Alibaba, told Business Insider of Ma's management style. Wong spent nearly two decades at Alibaba over the course of three separate employment stints — from 1999 to 2020. Most recently, he was the company's group vice president and remains an advisor to an Alibaba unit focused on education and training."Jack does have an aspect of him that speaks his mind," Wong said. "For the most part, it's a positive asset in terms of how he has built the business."<h2>Jack Ma 2.0: An outgoing Big Tech exec — until he wasn't</h2>As an internet entrepreneur, Ma was pivotal in steering the company, and his charisma corralled the support he needed."He's a master at communicating a shared aspiration that so many people can relate to," said Wong.Ma cofounded Alibaba.com in June 1999. In October, the company managed to raise $5 million from the Wall Street behemoth Goldman Sachs and another $20 million from the Japanese tech investor SoftBank.The work culture at Alibaba was intense, but Ma was known for maintaining a sense of fun. In the early 2000s, when setting up the Taobao shopping platform, he made his team do headstands during breaks to boost their energy.Alibaba boomed through the 2000s in China. By the mid-2010s, Ma started dreaming beyond China.In 2014, Alibaba started trading on the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alibaba-ipo-september-19-2014-9">New York Stock Exchange</a>, making Ma the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-12-11/jack-ma-becomes-asia-s-richest-person-on-alibaba-surge">richest person in Asia</a> by the end of that year with an estimated $25 billion fortune. "What I'm thinking about is how we can make Alibaba a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-alibabas-jack-ma-isnt-scared-of-chinas-slowdown/">platform for global small business</a>," Ma told the journalist Charlie Rose at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2015.Ma himself cavorted with the biggest names in business, tech, and government globally — including <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/BillGates/status/956346059839627264">Bill Gates</a>, SoftBank CEO <a target="_blank" href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/08/tech/softbank-masayoshi-son-jack-ma-intl-hnk/index.html">Masayoshi Son</a>, and then-president-elect <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alibaba-ceo-jack-ma-meets-with-trump-pledges-1-million-us-jobs-2017-1">Donald Trump</a>.But there was a problem: Outspoken Ma was starting to outshine his political masters in Beijing, as the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ft.com/content/1fe0559f-de6d-490e-b312-abba0181da1f">Financial Times</a> reported in April 2021.Some of what he was saying could also be potentially embarrassing for Beijing, a person close to the Hangzhou government told the media outlet.After Ma openly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN27L2GW/">hit out at Chinese regulators</a> in October 2020 for stifling innovation, Beijing ran out of patience. What came next was an extended period in which he was, to the public eye, invisible.<h2>Jack Ma 3.0: a high-tech farming titan</h2>Ma had already been retired from Alibaba for about a year by the time he vanished.Even though he was lying low, Ma kept busy. Over the past two years, he has been spotted at various institutes around the world that specialize in high-tech farming.In October 2021, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3152901/jack-ma-study-tour-agriculture-europe-alibabas-founder-travels">Ma was in Spain</a> learning about agriculture and technology related to environmental issues. He has also traveled to the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.wur.nl/en/newsarticle/jack-ma-visits-wur-to-learn-more-about-sustainable-food-production.htm">Netherlands</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alibaba-jack-ma-tokyo-japan-china-beijing-tech-crackdown-2022-11">Japan</a>, and <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jack-ma-appears-resurface-thailand-gives-up-control-ant-group-2023-1">Thailand</a> to study agrotech.In May, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/9351/">Tokyo College</a> announced that Ma would be taking up a teaching position while researching sustainable agriculture and food production.In January, he was in <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jack-ma-appears-resurface-thailand-gives-up-control-ant-group-2023-1">Thailand</a>, where he dined with Supakit Chearavanont, the chairman of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.feedstrategy.com/business-markets/feed-production-by-region/article/15443042/top-feed-companies-144-global-producers-rank-in-2022">Charoen Pokphand Group</a>, a major animal-feed producer.His entrepreneurial streak also appears to be back — or perhaps it never disappeared.In November, Ma incorporated a company named "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.yicaiglobal.com/news/alibaba-founder-jack-ma-enters-ready-meals-sector">Hangzhou Ma's Kitchen Food</a>," reports said. South China Morning Post reported that the company was involved in the sales of pre-packaged food and the processing and retail of agricultural products.Ma hasn't publicly talked about why he's moving into farming. He didn't respond to a request for comment from BI sent via his personal foundation.Wong told BI Ma had always been moved by how the digital economy helped connect rural communities to growth opportunities. His <a target="_blank" href="https://www.alizila.com/jack-ma-foundation-awards-2-85m-to-chinas-rural-educators/">foundation</a> supports educators in such communities as well.Agriculture, Wong said, was thus an extension of Ma's recognition that there are issues such as the climate crisis, scarcity, and inequality that need to be addressed, with technology as a driver.Ma seems to have articulated the same thoughts in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3231711/jack-ma-continues-focus-agriculture-education-alibaba-undergoes-sweeping-changes">video speech</a> he delivered to rural teachers in August, as SCMP reported. His words show that while he may be pivoting his attention to a new sector, the same entrepreneurial bent he's displayed all along is still there."I found that a place that does well in agriculture is not necessarily a place with good resources, but a place with unique thinking and people with imagination," he said."The rural areas do need technology, while I think unique thinking and creativity are important as well," he added.

First he was a teacher. Then he was China's top tech titan. Now, meet Jack Ma 3.0 &mdash; a high-tech farmer.

There are millions who enjoy eating ice creams from cones and then munching on the cones too. A Deoria-based farmers' group in Uttar Pradesh has now come up with 'kulhads' made from millet that can be used to drink tea and then eaten as a healthy snack. Interestingly, these 'kulhads' come at a time when 2023 has been declared as the "International Year of Millets" by the United Nations after a proposal from India in 2019. Christened 'Chai Piyo aur Kulhad Khao', these nutritious kulhads, made of co-arse grain of ragi and maize flour, have caught the attention of tea lovers at the ongoing Magh Mela in Prayagraj. Ankit Rai, a member of the group, said the demand for these 'kulhads' has been increasing manifold in rural as well as urban areas of eastern Uttar Pradesh. He said, "To promote the benefits of millets, we created edible kulhads made of millets about two years ago. We have a special mould wherein we can make 24 cups in one go." "Initially, we connected with tea vendors in small villages of east UP, including Deoria, Gorakhpur, Siddharth Nagar and Kushinagar, but we managed to win hearts in other parts as well. Now, the demand has spread to Prayagraj, Varanasi, Lucknow and other districts." Talking about the price of these 'kulhads', he said, "It takes Rs 5 to shape such kulhads and when tea is served in it, it costs Rs 10. The 'kulhads' are also eco-friendly. They are in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Mission as there is zero wastage." Women are mostly involved in making 'kulhads' of millet for health benefits. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/were-calling-them-objects-not-balloons-for-a-reason-pentagon-on-shooting-unidentified-object/articleshow/97851862.cms">"We're calling them objects, not balloons, for a reason," Pentagon on shooting unidentified object</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/public-health-experts-pitch-for-higher-taxes-on-tobacco-products-to-make-india-tobacco-free-in-amrit-kaal/articleshow/97839889.cms">Public health experts pitch for higher taxes on tobacco products to make India tobacco-free in 'Amrit Kaal'</a>

With millet kulhads, you can now drink your tea & eat the cup too

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A lawsuit claims Rudy Giuliani was paid $300,000 while pitching investors on an anti-Biden film.</li><li>Giuliani allegedly said it would be a "kill shot" that would sink Joe Biden's campaign.</li></ul>Two farmers who plowed $1 million into a documentary that would supposedly come out before the 2020 election and expose Joe Biden and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hunter-biden-ethics-business-deals-joe-biden-wall-art-show-2021-10">Hunter Biden's corrupt</a> dealings in Ukraine want their money back.In 2019, a new lawsuit alleges, California fruit-and-nut farming magnates and brothers Baldev and Kewel Munger met Tim Yale, a Republican political operative at a fundraiser. A few months later, Yale introduced them to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rudy-giuliani-indicted-georgia-trump-rico-2023-8">Rudy Giuliani</a>, the former mayor of New York City, according to the suit. By then, Giuliani was hard at work trying to dig up election-year dirt on Joe Biden in his capacity as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/maggie-haberman-trump-really-upset-rudy-giuliani-indicted-ga-2023-8">President Trump's personal attorney</a>.Giuliani, the lawsuit alleges, asked for the farmers' help finance efforts to make sure Trump was elected to a second term. But Giuliani wasn't seeking a donation — he wanted them to invest in a documentary.The suit was filed this month by a Munger-owned LLC, one of several entities controlled by the multinational agro-barons, who also hold part ownership of Naturipe, the world's largest producer of blueberries.Giuliani was working with Yale and cannabis investor George Dickson III, per the suit. The lawsuit claims that the three men pitched the farmers on a film that would be "a possible 'kill shot' to Biden's presidential campaign." The three men "all represented that they possessed key documents that were 'smoking guns' that would establish that the Ukrainian government engaged in a quid pro quo exchange with the Biden family to benefit Burisma," the complaint continues.Burisma, of course, is the energy company that paid Hunter Biden hundreds of thousands of dollars to sit on its board. Republicans have long alleged but have never proven a nexus between Hunter's work on Burisma's board and Joe Biden's efforts, as vice president, to remove a Ukrainian prosecutor who was investigating the company.Allegedly, the film was supposed to reveal a "smoking gun" that would take the Bidens down, secure Trump's second term, and enrich the Mungers in the process. "Yale and Dickson represented that this documentary movie was going to be bigger and more profitable than <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.insider.com/michael-moore-new-documentary-fahrenheit-11-9-looks-at-trump-obama-clinton-flint-2018-9">Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11,'</a> which earned $200 million at the box office."The Mungers, who had given tens of thousands of dollars to Republican candidates, were sold. They turned over $1 million to finance the film, according to promissory notes attached to the complaint as exhibits. Out of that money, $300,000 allegedly went to Giuliani himself; the rest "was stolen by Dickson and Yale for their own personal use," the lawsuit claims.None of the promises allegedly made by the film's backers materialized.The film was never made or released. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-biggest-successes-failures-second-year-recap-2022-12">Joe Biden</a> won the 2020 election. And the Mungers' million-dollar bet vanished.Giuliani, after conducting interviews with various Ukrainian officials, was unable to produce a "smoking gun." As Election Day drew near, his attention drifted from filmmaking to a different October surprise — emails and other data obtained from Hunter Biden's laptop.Yet despite Giuliani's opposition research effort, Trump failed to win a second term. Giuliani's efforts to erase that democratic outcome, first with spurious lawsuits and then with denialism and a call to "trial by combat" now have him facing criminal charges in Georgia. He also faces a civil suit filed by his former assistant <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rudy-giuliani-noelle-dunphy-settlement-discussions-sexual-assault-2023-7">Noelle Dunphy</a>, which accuses Giuliani of wage theft and sexual assault.Giuliani is not a defendant in the Mungers' California lawsuit over the film. But he and Dickson were reportedly investigated by the FBI over the movie. The bureau searched <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-investigates-rudy-giuliani-over-biden-ukraine-film-report-says-2021-8">Dickson's home</a> in connection with the film 2021, but no charges were ever filed in connection with it. The suit also includes "John Doe" defendants, and could be updated to include more names.Details about Yale and Dickson's efforts to raise $10 million to finance the film were <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/05/rudy-giuliani-is-looking-for-10-million-to-finance-a-ukraine-biden-film/">reported</a> in 2020 by Mother Jones. The magazine <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/08/the-fbi-is-investigating-giulianis-attempt-to-make-a-movie-about-the-bidens-and-ukraine/">reported</a> in 2021 that the production was a disaster that only resulted in 15 minutes of low-quality footage, while Giuliani was paid six figures to fly out in a private jet to woo potential investors.This isn't the first time that the Mungers have been involved in litigation. Their company Munger Bros. paid $3.75 million to settle a lawsuit that accused them of having "<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.capitalpress.com/state/california/munger-bros-agrees-to-pay-3-75-million-to-settle-suit/article_5889bb70-266c-11ea-ba9d-7ba8e03533b3.html">mistreated and illegally fired</a> Mexican nationals" who worked at their blueberry farm in Washington state and was hit with $3.5 million in penalties and back wages in 2019 for improperly <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-12-09/munger-bros-berry-farm-fined-farm-worker-abuses">recruiting foreign workers</a>, housing them in unsanitary conditions, and dodging pay rules.The aborted Giuliani film project also forms part of a whistleblower disclosure from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-whistleblower-senate-judiciary-russia-giuliani-leak-trump-allies-fuks-biden-2023-8">Johnathan Buma</a>, an FBI special agent whose allegations were first reported by Insider. Buma's statement alleges that Giuliani raised money for an election-year Biden film from a group of California activists and that Giuliani was soliciting information on Biden from "Ukrainian and also likely Russian sources."The Mungers, their company's CEO Bob Hawk, lawyers for their company, Yale, Dickson, and a spokesperson for Giuliani did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Buma's attorney declined to comment.You can read the entire complaint below:

Rudy Giuliani pocketed $300,000 from farmers investing in anti-Biden documentary that was never made, lawsuit claims 

<ul><li><keyword id="94272" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="keshub-mahindra" source="Orion">Keshub Mahindra</keyword>, the former chairman of <keyword id="1263014" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mahindra-and-mahindra-group" source="Orion">Mahindra and Mahindra group</keyword> was amongst the world’s oldest billionaires. </li><li>The Wharton University graduate had dreamt of becoming either a soldier or a farmer as a young boy. </li><li>Keshub Mahindra, who had seen licence raj and many other government controls in the 50s and 60s, believed that the pressures helped the Indian <keyword id="34478" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="auto-industry" source="Orion">auto industry</keyword> become cost competitive. </li></ul>The patriarch of the Mahindra group, Keshub Mahindra died on Wednesday, at the age of 99. “The industrial world has lost one of the tallest personalities today. Shri Keshub Mahindra had no match; the nicest person I had the privilege of knowing. I always looked forward to meetings with him and was inspired by how he connected business, economics and social matters. Om Shanti,” said Pawan <a href="https://twitter.com/GoenkaPk/status/1646012668103495681">Goenka in a tweet</a>. The former chairman of Mahindra and Mahindra group who had retired in 2012, was amongst the world’s oldest billionaires as per a recent Forbes report. He had just re-entered the coveted billionaire list in 2023. The businessman turned philanthropist, however, leaves a larger and wider legacy — he was instrumental in helping build India’s indigenous auto industry into a force to be reckoned with. ‘We don’t know a damn thing about the auto industry’ Keshub Mahindra’s story is intertwined with the history of the auto industry in India. The Mahindra and Mahindra group had started two generations before Anand Mahindra, the nephew of Keshub Mahindra and chairman emeritus of the group. The company was founded by two brothers Kailash Chandra Mahindra and Jagdish Chandra Mahindra in 1945, as a steel trader. Kailash Chandra Mahindra, the father of Keshub Mahindra had met the inventor of Jeep, Barney Roos in Washington. That’s how the company became an assembler of Willys jeep in India. A young Keshub, freshly graduated from Wharton University and grown up beyond his boyhood dreams of becoming either a soldier or a farmer, was called into a meeting with the defence minister. This was in 1947 when India had just won its freedom but was finding it tough to find spare parts for their tanks from Britain and other countries. At the meeting, the government said that it was planning to develop its own automotive industry. “We don’t know a damn thing about the auto industry,” Keshub Mahindra told the defence minister. That, however, did not stop neither Mahindra nor the only other auto companies existing back then — Premier Automobiles and Hindustan Motors – from building indigenous vehicles. M&amp;M started manufacturing jeeps in a full do-it-yourself (DIY) mode — when there were no suppliers or vendors. They had to make engines, transmissions, axles, stampings, the body – everything to produce 2,000 Jeeps a year, Keshub Mahindra said in an <a href="https://www.autocarindia.com/interviews/india-at-75-keshub-mahindra-%E2%80%93-the-man-who-saw-it-all-425406">interview with Autocar</a>. <div type="image" title="Keshub Mahindra anand mahindra" msid="99426813" hostid="261" sizebytes="59302" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Source: BCCL&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Licences, price controls and capacity caps For another 30 years, the group had fought many battles both from the supply chain ecosystem angle as well as the many rules and regulations back in the day. It was the age of licence raj and M&amp;M was not given a licence to make cars, no matter how many times they applied. In fact they were rejected a dozen times – as they tried to manufacture cars in partnership with various multinationals. Moreover, companies could not increase prices without government nod, and added to that even their capacities were limited by rules. Once, the group was sent a letter by the government asking them why they should not prosecute them for exceeding capacity. “Prosecute us,” Keshub responded to the letter. Forced to do things he described as ‘crazy’, Keshub also admits that it has made Indian manufacturers control costs with frugal engineering and much more —- a move that has made them competitive. It was a good thing in the long run, he admitted in the Autocar interview. The courage of change His can-do attitude is also one of his guiding principles as <a href="https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/dream-impossible-life-lessons-keshub-mahindra/">he shared in a Wharton page</a>, “Dream about achieving the impossible — because impossible things do happen. Only the brave have the courage to transform their lives,” he shared. He served as the chairman of M&amp;M for 48 years and ably steered the group through winds of change. The group now has interests across software, financial services and more. In FY22, the group’s revenue stood at ₹90,170 crore as against ₹74,277.78 crore in FY21. The auto business too grew exponentially both organically and inorganically under Keshub Mahindra’s leadership and expanded into light commercial vehicles, tractors and even farm equipment. It acquired companies like Punjab Tractors and Gujarat Tractors and also acquired companies in South Korea like SsangYong Motor, entered the two-wheeler market and also made early strides into the electric vehicle (EV) market by purchasing REVA. Years later, Anand Mahindra and his father Harish Mahindra also started another unique partnership when they lent ₹1 lakh to Uday Kotak for a business that went on to become the Kotak Mahindra Bank. Not just business Even before he retired in 2012, Keshub did not dedicate all his time to business itself — and made space and time for philanthropy. Keshub also founded Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), and ran it for many years. “During this time, I visited some of the most deplorable slums in India. I would come home and wonder how people could live like this. That had a huge influence on my life,” he told Wharton. Educating girls and housing for the cancer afflicted are some of the many charity projects he supported with the help of his family.

Keshub Mahindra: The man who thought impossible is possible

<ul class="summary-list"><li>New filings accuse the company backed by Marc Andreessen and Reid Hoffman of forcing farmers to sell up.</li><li>Solano County farmers say Flannery Associates targeted them with pressure tactics and litigation.</li></ul>The company that wants to create an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/solano-county-flannery-associates-northern-california-forever-build-new-city-2023-9">entirely new city in California</a>, and that's backed by Silicon Valley billionaires, has been accused of coercing farmers into selling their land.In a court filing this week, farmers in Solano County said Flannery Associates used pressure tactics to acquire land for the new city, including evicting farmers who refused to negotiate and using expensive litigation to force residents to sell up.Backed by Silicon Valley heavyweights including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flannery-silicon-valley-billionaires-build-new-california-city-solano-county-2023-8">investor Marc Andreessen and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman</a>, Flannery has bought up <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/solano-county-flannery-associates-city-of-yesterday-silicon-valley-billionaires-2023-9">52,000 acres of land in northern California</a> with the aim of building a brand-new utopian city.The allegations appeared in response to a lawsuit submitted by Flannery in May <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/some-california-landowners-fight-while-other-settle-510-mln-antitrust-lawsuit-2023-08-07/">accusing landowners in Solano County</a> of fixing prices and overcharging the company for land.The defendants, including some families who say they have been farming the land for upward of 100 years, have hit back and accused Flannery of "hounding" local residents, canceling leases, and playing farmers against one another.<div type="image" title="Concept art showing what the new city planned in Solano county might look like." height="960" width="1280" msid="104861775" hostid="261"></div>They compare Flannery's actions to "mobster tactics," citing Californian Congressman <a target="_blank" href="https://nypost.com/2023/08/30/silicon-valley-titans-accused-of-mobster-techniques/">John Garamendi</a>. In one instance, the lawsuit said that Flannery attempted to purchase a plot of land owned by eight groups of descendants of the same family.When all but one of the groups refused to sell, Flannery adopted a "divide and conquer" strategy by acquiring the one-eighth share and suing the other owners, using the threat of expensive and lengthy litigation to force them into selling, the suit said.A Flannery spokesperson told Insider that the company had specific evidence of price fixing and that it had made settlement offers to the remaining defendants."Over the last few months, a small group of individuals have engaged in a targeted campaign to slander Flannery Associates, claiming that Flannery has sued local Solano County farmers who did not want to sell their property. This is completely false," the spokesperson said.Flannery Associates has been quietly buying up thousands of acres of land in northern California since 2018 and has spent $800 million so far according to court documents.Jan Sramek, the CEO of Flannery's parent company California Forever, told TV station KQED that the group is aiming to build a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/solano-county-flannery-associates-city-of-yesterday-silicon-valley-billionaires-2023-9">retro-themed "city of yesterday," </a>and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/images-new-city-northern-california-could-look-solano-county-flannery-2023-9">renderings</a> depict a utopian community with a focus on sustainability and accessibility.However, the group has faced skepticism and opposition from developers and locals. Sacramento-based real estate developer Mark Friedman told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/29/business/economy/california-land-solano-county.html">The New York Times</a> that he doubted the plans <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-billionaires-buying-up-land-to-wait-years-2023-8">would ever get off the ground</a>, and Princess Washington, mayor pro tempore of Suisun City, said the group is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/local-reaction-billionaires-plan-build-city-california-forever-bay-area-2023-9">trying to create "a city for the elite."</a>Silicon Valley investors have long been interested in the idea of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-forever-silicon-valley-billionaire-city-plans-are-terrible-2023-9">building futuristic "smart cities,"</a> and the latest plans come as many become increasingly disillusioned with San Francisco's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/san-francisco-doom-loop-fix-american-city-housing-transit-2023-7">rising levels of crime and homelessness</a>.

A mystery company backed by Silicon Valley elites is buying up land to build a new city. Farmers say they've been pressured to sell up.      

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Farmers have overrun a set of abandoned villas in Shenyang, China, to grow crops and rear cattle.</li><li>Their farm animals have been seen roaming around homes inside the decrepit development, per <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2023/07/23/in-northeastern-china-farmers-reclaim-ghost-town-of-mansions-abandoned-by-housing-developer/">AFP</a>. </li></ul>An abandoned town of half-built villas in northeastern China has found a new lease of life — farmers have occupied it and started using the deserted land to grow crops and rear cattle, per the <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2023/07/23/in-northeastern-china-farmers-reclaim-ghost-town-of-mansions-abandoned-by-housing-developer/">AFP</a>.The Chinese property giant Greenland Group broke ground on the State Guest Mansions project in a suburb of Shenyang back in 2010, per the AFP. The exclusive development in China's northeastern Liaoning province was planned to have 260 European-style villas to house the city's ultrarich.<div type="image" title="An overhead view of a group of grey-brick, European-style houses built on a muddy field." height="3508" width="5262" msid="102072564" hostid="261"></div>The project was abandoned two years later, per the AFP.<div type="image" title="A dirt road with several rows of grey-brick, European-style houses on either side." height="3648" width="5472" msid="102072568" hostid="261"></div>The half-built villas have become overrun by local farmers, who plow the land and plant crops on the overgrown lawns of abandoned villas. The desolate homes stand unfinished and unpainted like crumbling tombstones dotting the expansive wasteland.<div type="image" title="A small field that has been plowed in a field that is in front of a large grey-brick, European-style house." height="3564" width="5346" msid="102072574" hostid="261"></div>The ghost town doesn't house multimillionaires — instead, its residents include a variety of cattle and livestock that wander around outside the European-style villas.<div type="image" title="A group of cattle in a pen that has been built in the space between two large grey-brick, European-style homes." height="4128" width="6192" msid="102072578" hostid="261"></div>The insides of the buildings look post-apocalyptic, too, like shots straight out of "The Last of Us." The models showcasing what this development was meant to be — a lush paradise for China's nouveau riche — sit in a now-decaying housing-sales building on the sprawling property.<div type="image" title="A small-scale model of the real-estate development on a table inside of a rundown home with a chandelier and large glass windows." height="4024" width="6048" msid="102072582" hostid="261"></div>Guo, a 45-year-old farmer who moved into the ghost town, told the AFP that the development was likely abandoned "because of official corruption.""They cut off the funding and cracked down on uncontrolled developments, so it was left half-finished," Guo told the outlet."These homes would have sold for millions, but the rich haven't even bought one of them," Guo added.These half-built villas have also captivated the attention of some users on China's Twitter-like social-media platform, <a href="https://weibo.com/2060112437/4803006233837667">Weibo</a>. Some Weibo users questioned why the government hadn't done anything about it or taken over the land."This place has been left abandoned for so many years," one Weibo user wrote."Only ghosts can reside here!" another Weibo user said.<h2>Shenyang's ghost villas are just one of many "rotten" real-estate projects across China's urban landscape</h2><div type="image" title="The interior of a deserted building with a chandelier and large glass windows." height="4024" width="6048" msid="102072586" hostid="261"></div>Abandoned buildings are a <a href="https://www.insider.com/inside-chinas-ghost-cities-photos-2018-12">common</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-bloggers-ghost-town-2011-12">eyesore</a> in China. During the <a href="https://www.insider.com/evergrandes-impending-collapse-forcing-chinese-millennials-reconsider-life-plans-2021-10">Evergrande collapse</a>, the real-estate giant paused construction on many projects after facing a monumental debt crisis.This <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-negotiates-state-firm-purchase-of-evergrande-assets-2021-9">triggered fears</a> from the Chinese government that progress would stall on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/evergrandes-lotus-shaped-football-stadium-half-built-in-shambles-2021-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">large-scale projects occupying sizable swathes of urban land</a>. Evergrande was the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-housing-market-explainer-cost-debt-wealth-evergrande-impact-2021-9">most indebted company in the world</a> in October 2021 and now <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/evergrande-stock-market-selloff-what-to-know-debt-crisis-china-2021-9?_gl=1*1uwimpm*_ga*MzI5NjQxMDUwLjE2ODYxMTgwNjI.*_ga_E21CV80ZCZ*MTY5MDE3MzY1My4yMzcuMS4xNjkwMTc1Mzk1LjYwLjAuMA..">holds more than $300 billion in debt</a>.And it wasn't just Evergrande's implosion that put Chinese real-estate projects at risk of never being built. People buying real estate, or shopping for their first homes in China, are still at risk of ending up with "<a href="https://www.scmp.com/video/scmp-originals/3187852/growing-anger-over-chinas-unfinished-rotten-tail-buildings-we-really" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rotten-tail houses</a>," developments that get abandoned midway through construction.On social-media sites like Douyin, China's version of TikTok, there are videos galore of people <a href="https://www.douyin.com/search/%E6%88%91%E5%AE%B6%E4%BD%8F%E5%9C%A8%E7%83%82%E5%B0%BE%E6%A5%BC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">squatting in abandoned apartment buildings</a>. In some videos, people can be seen <a href="https://www.douyin.com/video/7096803041801784617">moving their bed frames into half-built apartments</a> and <a href="https://www.douyin.com/video/7121176486572215585">cooking their meals</a> in makeshift kitchens, with no other option but to live in unfurnished units.When abandoned en-masse, much like Shenyang's State Guest Mansions, these mega-developments can turn into ghost neighborhoods — or, worse, <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Society/China-s-largest-ghost-city-booms-again-thanks-to-education-fever" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ghost cities</a>.Li Gan, an economics professor at Texas A&amp;M University who is the director of the Survey and Research Center for China Household Finance at Chengdu's Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-empty-homes-real-estate-evergrande-housing-market-problem-2021-10">told Insider in October 2021</a> that ghost cities were "a unique China phenomenon." A mismatch between <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-shrinking-population-worker-labor-shortage-grim-omen-global-economy-2023-2">falling demand</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-housing-market-explainer-cost-debt-wealth-evergrande-impact-2021-9">excess supply</a> has resulted in these abandoned developments popping up across China, he said."They built an oversupply, and then they sold it. And that's why you see the vacancies," Gan told Insider.Representatives for Greenland Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Check out a ghost town of deserted Chinese mega-villas built for multimillionaires that's now overrun by farmers and left to rot

<ul><li>The Access to Seeds Index 2021 <a href="https://www.worldbenchmarkingalliance.org/publication/access-to-seeds-index/wca/rankings/">ranks</a> <keyword id="201617" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="advanta" source="Orion">Advanta</keyword> as 4th in Africa and 2nd in South and <keyword id="53564" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="southeast-asia" source="Orion">Southeast Asia</keyword>. </li><li>Advanta focuses on sustainable <keyword id="6355165" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="agriculture" source="Orion">agriculture</keyword>, providing <keyword id="45092" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="farmers" source="Orion">farmers</keyword> with locally adapted quality hybrid seeds. </li><li>Upon completion of the transaction, Advanta will operate as a standalone platform. </li></ul>Private equity firm <keyword id="6354544" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="kkr" source="Orion">KKR</keyword> will invest $300 million for a 13.33% stake in Advanta Enterprises, a subsidiary of UPL – a global agriculture solutions provider, the companies said on Friday. Upon completion of the transaction, seed company Advanta will operate as a standalone platform; and aims to become a global sustainability leader in seeds. “We are pleased to invest in Advanta, a global leader in sustainable agriculture, at a time when food security has grown in importance amidst geopolitical tensions and climate change. Advanta has built a diversified platform with differentiated products and an excellent track record,” <keyword id="8569616" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="gaurav-trehan" source="Orion">Gaurav Trehan</keyword>, Partner and CEO of KKR India, said. The investment comes at a time when food production is facing structural challenges due to geopolitical disruption, rising population, reduction of arable land, declining productivity and climate change. Advanta focuses on sustainable agriculture, providing farmers with locally adapted quality hybrid seeds. It has presence in 84 countries across <keyword id="21718" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="asia" source="Orion">Asia</keyword>, Australia, <keyword id="28249" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="europe" source="Orion">Europe</keyword>, United States and Latin America, and Africa. “Today, Advanta is a leading player in sustainable agriculture solutions, benefitting the livelihoods of farmers globally. As sustainable <keyword id="6386447" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="farming" source="Orion">farming</keyword> practices increase in priority around the world, Advanta is well poised for its next leg of robust growth,” Jai Shroff, group CEO of UPL, said. The Access to Seeds Index <a href="https://www.worldbenchmarkingalliance.org/publication/access-to-seeds-index/wca/rankings/">2021</a>, which measures the efforts of seed companies to boost productivity of smallholder farmers, ranks Advanta as 4th in Africa and 2nd in South and Southeast Asia. KKR will make its investment from its global Impact strategy, which invests in businesses delivering solutions to address critical global challenges, and contributing towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As of December 31, 2021, KKR has committed over $25 billion in equity globally to climate and environmental sustainability investments, the statement said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/rishi-sunak-may-get-a-second-chance-to-run-for-uks-premiership-heres-all-you-need-to-know-about-him/slidelist/95010029.cms">Rishi Sunak may get a second chance to run for UK’s premiership: Here’s all you need to know about him</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/if-you-are-looking-to-add-sparkle-to-your-portfolio-this-diwali-here-are-ten-stocks-for-samvat-2079/articleshow/95007121.cms">If you are looking to add sparkle to your portfolio this Diwali, here are ten stocks for Samvat 2079</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/defense-expo-2022-a-big-step-towards-self-reliance-in-defense-with-a-new-tank-gun-system-and-more/articleshow/95006121.cms">Defense Expo 2022: A big step towards self-reliance in defense with a new tank, gun system, and more</a>

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