Transformations and Visions: Responses, Alternatives and Resistances to Large-scale Land Deals in the Global South

Übersicht

This workshop brings together a select group of engaged, interdisciplinary scholars and practitioners who are working on land deals in different countries in the Global South, to present case studies and ideas that describe reactions and alternatives to large-scale land deals for commercial or conservation purposes. These case studies may (but not exclusively) examine the promises, challenges and limitations posed by:

1. Transnational and national legal and policy options, such as land laws for collective or individual titles, or the effectiveness of guidelines and actions to support local livelihoods such as small scale agriculture and agro-pastoralism.
2. Alternative agricultural, agro-pastoral or conservation approaches and models that challenge large scale land deals or that encourage better forms of inclusion of local knowledge and livelihood concerns.
3. Various forms of ‘resistance’ (broadly defined) at the local, national and transnational scale.

In this workshop, key individuals who have considerable experience working on land and rural development issues, alongside scholars and practitioners who are practically engaged with alternative approaches in the Global South, will critically engage with case studies that explore future directions, challenges and possibilities that support local livelihoods, social and economic equity and environmental ‘sustainability’, with the goal of moving forward from rather than rehashing critiques about large-scale land acquisitions.

The workshop will be structured to stimulate discussion and debate to encourage creative ideas for future directions in addressing land deals and the challenges they pose. The outputs will include two publications: one that is aimed at an academic and practitioner audience, and the other that translates these cases and ideas in a form that is more accessible to local communities, NGOs and activists. The workshop is structured around panel presentations and in-depth discussions of papers and case studies.

Source and further information: MPI, Link (17 May 2018)