Call for contributions: Land and land rights

By
22 June 2011

Land is a scarce resource. Large-scale land acquisitions by governments and companies – also known as “land grabs” – allow them to secure food supplies or simply make a profit.

The current and impending food crises are increasing pressures on the ownership of land and its use for agriculture. What are the implications of this for family farmers? Land grabs cause large scale migration, poverty and conflict – not to mention environmental impacts. Biodiversity decreases when small family farms are replaced by mono-crops treated with pesticides and fertilizers. Small-scale farmers have little power to farm sustainably if they don’t have control over land: secure access to land is a prerequisite for farmers to invest in sustainable agriculture. Land grabs give rise (directly or indirectly) to other issues, the rights of pastoralists, ethnic or political conflicts, and can also threaten protected areas.

The key question is: who has the rights to land, or to determine what happens to it? In some countries, the central government is the main decision making authority over land issues, while in others this control is delegated to local authorities, or traditional leaders. Land policies can undermine collective land management, as land is divided up and allocated to individuals. Farmers are often excluded from land planning processes: they are overruled by local leaders or removed from their land without warning. Also among farmers, some have more access to, control over and rights to land than others. Minority groups, for example, including the indigenous population, often have less power over land. The same is true in many societies for women, who have less influence when it comes to decision making and ownership. How can (all) farmers be included in all decision-making processes?

We welcome your suggestions and contributions in the form of articles, photographs, contacts of people with expertise in this area or ideas for other topics you think should be addressed. Please write to Jorge Chavez-Tafur, editor, before September 1st, 2011. E-mail: j.chavez-tafur@ileia.org