captioned by the >> hello, and welcome to "global 3000." for you today. indecent proposal, how traders drive up the price of staple foods to make a profit. destructive sports when the olympic games and threatened the world national heritage. how development can change the perspective on the radical groups like the taliban. what do you think?

is access to food a human right court are wheat and other -- or are wheat and other grains a commodity? the international market staple foods had no special status. investment traders, it makes no difference whether they speculate on rice. analysts see a growing population as a guarantee for good returns. every price rise makes it unlikely that the poorest of the poured -- poor can afford a meal. >> adverse side, you might think he is just another financial trader. one area they make a point of avoiding is speculation in the

food commodities market. out of principle. >> it is hard to the mountain, but there are financial products being introduced -- it is hard to imagine, but there are financial products being introduced to the market that target the staples. people are starving because these products help to drive up the prices. it is disgusting, a complete disgrace. >> in 2003, financial speculators invested $13 billion in raw materials, including food staples. that sum has exploited to over $600 billion this year. that -- has exploded to over $600 billion this year. as a result, food prices have been soaring. the index for staples has more than doubled since 2003, despite the volume of food produced actually increasing. that higher price is ultimately

paid by people on the ground. like in these slums in kenya. the price of flour, for example, has gone out by 50%. just within this year? >> for many people, just buying a kilo of rights has become an unaffordable luxury. >> [inaudible] they prefer to grow something. >> this is where she lives with her three children. their father works as a night watchman. half of the family's budget is spent on food. >> at the moment, we only have one hot meal a day. at lunch, but not in the

evening. >> continue that is a hub of the global trade in food. one-third of the world cereal production is traded here. it is a billion dollar business. it is conducted largely behind closed doors. the intercontinental hotel provides a luxurious setting for a meeting of investors. financial executives gathered to discuss strategies and coordinate a high profit investments. we want to take a closer look. >> this is a paid event. we would like to pay $2,000. >> journalists are not welcome here. the next comment is essentially, no comment. >> all i can say is we honor the request of our attendees. there is private information and private activities going on that they do not want open to the

general public. we have to abide by the attendees to come to the event. thank you very much. >> the participants did not welcome this kind of publicity. we do manage to get access to confidential brochures. about lucrative deals involving food. this asset management company presents a new fund worth $1 billion. it speculate on rising food prices. there is a dividend guaranteed because "every year, the planet has 80 million more mouths to feed." another insider brochure, this time from agro reserve, it details an investment proposal for a huge grain depots in russia. it promises a dividend.

this financial trader shows us of which company in germany offers such speculative funds. this one reads "agricultural products, short supply and in high demand." >> it is from deutsche bank. the right mix ensure success. but success for him? it makes me feel sick. these financial products from banks and funds speculate with food staples. ultimately, they cause starvation and death. >> german savings banks have also joined the rush to profit. as well as commercial banks. do is to stop the speculation? -- who is to stop the speculation? the european parliament in brussels is willing to take action. >> the european parliament has a

clear stance. we want to remove the speculative element from commodity futures. as long as this majority across all party groups and members states remains intact, i am very optimistic we will prevail. >> the european parliament would have to prevail against the lobbying might of the entire financial sector. that includes trading platforms and a big financial institutions. in brussels, they are represented by a range of lobby groups. the association for financial markets in europe, the international swaps and derivatives association, and a plethora of others. in total, they have hundreds of lobbyists in the field with one objective -- to influence politicians. until recently, he was one such

lobbyist. he switched sides and now works for finance lodge in brussels. -- finance watched in brussels. but the lobbying that is going on is about damage control. -- financing watch in brussels. >> the lobbying that is going on is about damaging control. it is as simple as that. >> prevailing against the power of a lobbyist behind closed doors will certainly not be simple. >> when is the last time you looked closely at where your bank is investing your money? it is becoming hot property around the globe. private investors no longer a secure their supplies with agricultural products by buying the goods. these days, they go for the land grows on. depending on who you ask, 30 to

60 million hectares of africa's richest soil or already in foreign hands. for governments, it is an easy way to generate income. but local population pays the price -- the local population >> here in this village in northern mozambique, farmers have planted corn on state land. the state has leased land to european investors. the farmers say the investors are now occupying their fields illegally. >> when they came to my field, i was not there. they just started surveying the land and choosing what they wanted. i left me only a small plot and said the rest belongs to us. i said, you cannot do that. this plant and harvest our mind. but they just said, that has changed. -- this land and this harvest

our mind. but they said, this has changed. >> now trees are growing here instead of corn. an investment fund now has the company grow pine and eucalyptus. earmarked for export. green and sustainable, that is how the fund present itself to investors. the rate of return is an impressive 13%. the company running the plantation does not like to hear protests from the villages. it says the local people knew the risk they were running by planting on state land. >> we can talk like this -- it is a procedure. this procedure involves the local communities.

>> mozambican has already leased or sold the equivalent of 2 million football fields to raise money for its anti coffers. -- for its empty coffers. complaints are increasing. >> there are often conflicts because the investors are not honest and they do not fulfill their social obligations. >> initially, the people place great hopes in the foreign investors. they promised development and jobs on the plantations. but very few people have gotten jobs. after all, trees grow by themselves. now many people feel they were deceived. >> they promised are committed to a maternity ward, but they never built it. they just keep planting their trees, more and more of them, where our fields were.

>> the next harvest will be meager and the people's land will continue to be sold off. >> when our reporters go out into the world, they try to get insights into the cultures they visit. whenever they are invited to someone's home 40, they welcome the opportunity to get a more personal view -- for tea, they welcome the opportunity to get a more personal view of the culture. today, we spend time in northwestern costa rica. >> ♪ ♪

>> welcome, friends, to my home. this is the living room. we relax here, each and received our guests. -- eat and receive our guests. [no audio] today is not saying anything. it is afraid of you. this is the yolk for the toxins. i have 8 children altogether. when i die some day, each will receive a yoke. ♪

>> this is the what for the fire in the kitchen. we use it to cook our food. over here, i have my knives. i collect all kinds of nice. it is my hobby. this is where we gather for meals. usually, that includes my wife, my son, and an uncle. sometimes our daughters and their families join us. ♪ >> thank you for visiting my modest town. i hope we will see each other again some day. thank you very much for coming.

>> thank you for having us. now we-to the other end of the planets. -- dash to the other end of the planet. sochi is getting ready for the 2014 olympics. it has one of the mildest climate in russia. the region is also a huge building site in its bid to impress the world during the olympics. this facelift is taking its toll on nature. >> sochi is situated on russia's black sea coast. it is some to one of the oldest national parks in the country. he came to love the area as a child. he and his parents used to go

hacking for the forest along the black sea coast. -- hiking through the forest along the black sea coast. today, he is an environmentalist. >> it means a lot to me here. every tree, every bush. their fate matters to me. i grew up here and die and a nature lover. i am a local patriot -- i grew up here and i am a nature lover. i am a local patriot. >> the sensitive ecosystem is threatened. sports complexes and tunnels are under construction and head of the 2014 winter olympics. these days, he is confronted by heavy machinery every time he goes out walking. he does not have much faith in the government promises to adhere to green standards in its preparations for the games.

>> there is no way they're trying to keep the environmental damage to the -- to a minimum. trees have been cleared, the rock face is now baron. -- barren. ski jumps in the mountains. >> sochi's organizing committee went ahead with plans with guard -- regardless. work is almost finished. what used to be a swap area has been reclaimed and developed into an olympic park with six stadiums. being built by the state corporation. the head of the environmental department maintains that environment and concerns are a top priority. >> everything is checked very carefully. first in the planning phase and then we check out those plans

are being implemented. and then we monitor the environmental standards again before any new products -- projects are put to use. >> it is hope that the olympics will set new green standards and sustainable construction, unprecedented in russia. they include environmentally friendly building materials. rain water tanks and [no audio] >> a special class is being used. one of our green standards is using energy-saving materials. >> he has heard of these green standards, but he is not pinning his hopes on them. what he has seen a blm the park so far has not been confidence inspiring. -- the olympic part so far has not been confident inspiring.

the beach has been it narrowed to make way for a concrete beach, not. >> even minor storms wreaked havoc here. the concrete walkway it will not help much, good deal forced wins. the rest of the beach will just get washed away and the water levels will reach the stadiums. >> the countryside is proving vulnerable. in the spring, this house in a state a few streets away was hit by a landslide. many residents were forced to leave their homes. they said the landslide was caused by building rubble illegally deposited on the slope above the estate. >> my house sank 2 meters into a the hole in the ground. how can i continue to live there? this shad does not belong to me, it belongs to my neighbor.

these landslides is keep on happening. >> those responsible are getting away with it. locals living in the shadow of the new olympic park feel like they have been sidelined. some threats are serious, some are less so, but it all add up. he has evidence of activities that no one could dismiss as minor. another activist shot this footage in summer. they believe that chemicals used are being dumped into the river. they are having water samples tested to confirm their fears. they cannot expect any help from the authorities. >> those responsible are not interested. sometimes we feel we have no choice but to access the building sites illegally. when we do, the government

condemns as extremists. >> the winter olympics 2014 is modern russia's chance to showcase itself to the world. anyone who asks questions or criticizes the current preparations is seen as disloyal. that is not enough to deter him from his mission. insuring that the natural beauty remains intact. one day, he wants to go walking in the hills with his grandsons. >> when pakistan was hit in 2010 by some of the worst floods in living memory, the race was on as to get aid to the victims first. western countries or the taliban? that is what winning the hearts of mind -- hearts and mind of the people is all about. when you have nothing to lose, there are no questions asked. more a third of pakistanis live in poverty.

the effects of this assistance went far beyond improved harvests. >> some of the highest mountains in the world surround the province in northern pakistan. people here have lived in relative isolation for generations. they are deeply religious, a conservative, and suspicious of strangers. until recently, women were not allowed to run their own money. radical islamist ideology found for tile so it here -- fertile soil here. >> people used to go to training camps everywhere in pakistan. they joined jihad to defend islam. that has changed with this project. >> this is the very first development project in the region. at first, it was considered contrary to local culture. to fight poverty, many rules and customs and to be changed.

>> the project managers promoted women's organizations. but our society does not permit women to gather or organize as a group. and they introduced -- people reject credit has been unislaminc. >> the religious leaders engage in four years of controversial discussions before they decided the project -- a street was built, providing access to markets, schools, and hospitals. on for provided with running water. this species of animals were introduced. now people here can not only feed themselves, they are able to earn extra money. despite initial resistance, many women's organizations were founded.

for the first time, the women earn their own income. >> progress is changing people's consciousness. we have changed physically and mentally. >> before the project, a 90% of the people were illiterate. girls did not go to school at all. suddenly, education was affordable and considered desirable. he even for the shepherd -- even for the shepherd. >> look at me and my forefathers. none of us could read. now all of our children go to school. it used to be that none of us left here our whole lives. now we know how big the world is. >> this new view of the world was put to the test in 2008 when the taliban want to move into the region. there was a time the islamic

fighters would have been welcomed. >> we send those people away. after all, our future was at stake. we want to continue developing in every way. in terms of education, money, and -- education and money. that can only happen if we have peace. >> the people no longer depend on the project. they have pooled their money and have produced their own electricity. they're proud of their success. >> that is all we have time for on this edition of "global 3000." we will be back next week. for now, up from me and the entire team, thank you for watching.

i hope you'll tune in again in seven days' time.