To mark World Food Day 2023, IDLO, KPSRL, LANDac, and NFP co-convened a dialogue between stakeholders in the food security, land governance and rule of law communities to foster engagement between Dutch and international policymakers and practitioners, and explore practical opportunities to advance cooperation and coherence at the nexus of action on SDGs 2 and 16.
Five panelists shared their insight and engaged with the audience on a range of topics that speak to the rule of law, land governance and food systems. This blog summarizes the dialogue.
Nexus of rule of law and food systems
One of the primary ways in which the rule of law is important for transforming food systems relates to access to land and natural resources. To bring about food system transformation not only do the drivers of large-scale agricultural production need to be changed, it is vital that smallholders and their property rights need to be included in an effective way in food systems. Indeed, inclusion of smallholders should happen throughout the value chains.
In contexts of protracted conflicts food is used as weapon, not only through starvation, but also cutting people off from their fields and trade networks. In such contexts, the challenge is to move from food aid to addressing the systematic causes of the conflict. If peace is to improve food security, an emancipatory peace perspective needs to be implemented rather than a liberal peace paradigm that builds on industrialized food systems.
Rebecca Monson (ANU) presented the case of Kiribati, which was mined for phosphor for the production of fertilizer used by farmers in Australia. This example illustrates the double land loss and the vulnerable position of indigenous people: by the local people in Kiribati who had to make way for the mines, and by the aboriginal people who lost their land to white settlers and their system of large-scale agriculture. Neither of these groups were able to protect the rights to their lands.
Rule of Law
In many contexts, there is no problem with the law, but there is challenge with implementation according to Rea Abada Chiongson (IDLO). Laws don’t operate themselves by themselves, they need policies to get to implementation. In reality arbitrary use of power is pervasive in ‘bad’ land governance. Those who have to respect the law are not respecting the laws.
Legal land reforms centralize the concept of individual property rights, which finds its implementation in mapping and registration of land parcels. Collective land is no longer being recognized. Property rights draw a boundary around the land, but also around the people. In such contexts, how can we engage in access to livelihoods without having disputes? The panelists stress the importance of customary systems, which are explicitly mentioned in SDG5. In debates these customary systems are often presented as ‘bad’ as opposed to state systems which are ‘good’. The reality is often more complex, with customary systems offering a vital channel to justice for large groups of people.
Colombia was used as the only case of transitional justice and land reform. But, Gemma van der Haar (WUR) argued that this case shows the paradox of humanitarian interests vs commercial interests, where interests established during the conflict have not been addressed.
Vulnerable groups
The third aspect that formed a thread throughout the dialogue was the position of vulnerable groups. These include smallholder farmers, women, but also informal workers throughout the value chain, all the way through to street sellers. As Barbara Codispoti (Oxfam) said “Those closest to natural resources are furthest from access to the rule of law.”
To strengthen women’s access to food and justice, it was said that they should be centered in decision-making, and women’s groups need financing and technical support. Whereas historically women held leading positions, these positions have been erased in our vocabulary. Historical leading position of women has been erased in our vocabulary.
The panelists all iterated the importance of collective action required to make the voices of vulnerable groups heard as individuals cannot change the system. Murtah Shannon (Both ENDS) underscore that participation of vulnerable groups in itself is not good enough, it needs to extend into decision-making. Interventions should include building the confidence and negotiation capacity of vulnerable people.
Safe spaces for dialogue, for decision-making, but also for justice, are essential. This is particularly important in contexts where legal systems on paper are strong. Civic space and voice are pushing us to think more broadly and look at land as sustenance and kin (not as property).
Silofication
A recurring term during the dialogue was “silofication”, indicating that there is still a divide between the rule of law, the food systems, and the land governance communities. It was referred to when talking about policy, about the way in which development organizations are coordinated, and academics. Even the SDGs, which were formulated as a complete set of goals that all related to each other, are used with a cherry picking approach. Rule of law practitioners focus on SDG16, food system refer in their work to SDG2, overlooking the relationships with other development goals.
Looking forward
During the dialogue three knowledge gaps were identified:
- Emancipatory peace and food sovereignty. What can we learn from the connection between peace building and food systems research?
- Understand how people buffer. How do they achieve resilience? What strategies do they seek? What is key to their resilience. What tenure arrangements would support these strategies? How can we see food as dignity (beyond the calories)
- Food aid is massive. What are the value chains for this aid, what are the due diligence processes?
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognized much of the points brought to the table by the panelists. They have taken some first small steps in building bridges between the silos. In the LAND-at-scale program the rule of law plays a considerable role in combination with land governance and food security. Their new food systems approach looks to integrate water, justice and other actors in policy formulation and implementation.
The participants appreciated the dialogue, acknowledging the many touching points of the different disciplines. There is much to learn from, and with, each other.
Posted: 24th October 2023 by Coordinator
Rule of law and Food systems transformation dialogue
To mark World Food Day 2023, IDLO, KPSRL, LANDac, and NFP co-convened a dialogue between stakeholders in the food security, land governance and rule of law communities to foster engagement between Dutch and international policymakers and practitioners, and explore practical opportunities to advance cooperation and coherence at the nexus of action on SDGs 2 and 16.
Five panelists shared their insight and engaged with the audience on a range of topics that speak to the rule of law, land governance and food systems. This blog summarizes the dialogue.
Nexus of rule of law and food systems
One of the primary ways in which the rule of law is important for transforming food systems relates to access to land and natural resources. To bring about food system transformation not only do the drivers of large-scale agricultural production need to be changed, it is vital that smallholders and their property rights need to be included in an effective way in food systems. Indeed, inclusion of smallholders should happen throughout the value chains.
In contexts of protracted conflicts food is used as weapon, not only through starvation, but also cutting people off from their fields and trade networks. In such contexts, the challenge is to move from food aid to addressing the systematic causes of the conflict. If peace is to improve food security, an emancipatory peace perspective needs to be implemented rather than a liberal peace paradigm that builds on industrialized food systems.
Rebecca Monson (ANU) presented the case of Kiribati, which was mined for phosphor for the production of fertilizer used by farmers in Australia. This example illustrates the double land loss and the vulnerable position of indigenous people: by the local people in Kiribati who had to make way for the mines, and by the aboriginal people who lost their land to white settlers and their system of large-scale agriculture. Neither of these groups were able to protect the rights to their lands.
Rule of Law
In many contexts, there is no problem with the law, but there is challenge with implementation according to Rea Abada Chiongson (IDLO). Laws don’t operate themselves by themselves, they need policies to get to implementation. In reality arbitrary use of power is pervasive in ‘bad’ land governance. Those who have to respect the law are not respecting the laws.
Legal land reforms centralize the concept of individual property rights, which finds its implementation in mapping and registration of land parcels. Collective land is no longer being recognized. Property rights draw a boundary around the land, but also around the people. In such contexts, how can we engage in access to livelihoods without having disputes? The panelists stress the importance of customary systems, which are explicitly mentioned in SDG5. In debates these customary systems are often presented as ‘bad’ as opposed to state systems which are ‘good’. The reality is often more complex, with customary systems offering a vital channel to justice for large groups of people.
Colombia was used as the only case of transitional justice and land reform. But, Gemma van der Haar (WUR) argued that this case shows the paradox of humanitarian interests vs commercial interests, where interests established during the conflict have not been addressed.
Vulnerable groups
The third aspect that formed a thread throughout the dialogue was the position of vulnerable groups. These include smallholder farmers, women, but also informal workers throughout the value chain, all the way through to street sellers. As Barbara Codispoti (Oxfam) said “Those closest to natural resources are furthest from access to the rule of law.”
To strengthen women’s access to food and justice, it was said that they should be centered in decision-making, and women’s groups need financing and technical support. Whereas historically women held leading positions, these positions have been erased in our vocabulary. Historical leading position of women has been erased in our vocabulary.
The panelists all iterated the importance of collective action required to make the voices of vulnerable groups heard as individuals cannot change the system. Murtah Shannon (Both ENDS) underscore that participation of vulnerable groups in itself is not good enough, it needs to extend into decision-making. Interventions should include building the confidence and negotiation capacity of vulnerable people.
Safe spaces for dialogue, for decision-making, but also for justice, are essential. This is particularly important in contexts where legal systems on paper are strong. Civic space and voice are pushing us to think more broadly and look at land as sustenance and kin (not as property).
Silofication
A recurring term during the dialogue was “silofication”, indicating that there is still a divide between the rule of law, the food systems, and the land governance communities. It was referred to when talking about policy, about the way in which development organizations are coordinated, and academics. Even the SDGs, which were formulated as a complete set of goals that all related to each other, are used with a cherry picking approach. Rule of law practitioners focus on SDG16, food system refer in their work to SDG2, overlooking the relationships with other development goals.
Looking forward
During the dialogue three knowledge gaps were identified:
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognized much of the points brought to the table by the panelists. They have taken some first small steps in building bridges between the silos. In the LAND-at-scale program the rule of law plays a considerable role in combination with land governance and food security. Their new food systems approach looks to integrate water, justice and other actors in policy formulation and implementation.
The participants appreciated the dialogue, acknowledging the many touching points of the different disciplines. There is much to learn from, and with, each other.
Last Updated: 25th October 2023 by Coordinator
Annual conference 2023 open for registration!
We are happy to announce the IOS Fair Transitions / LANDac Annual Conference 2023 is now open for registration! We are calling upon practitioners, policy makers and scholars from a wide variety of fields (humanities, geosciences, law, governance and those involved in issues of sustainability) to join us in an interdisciplinary and meaningful dialogue on how to radically rethink sustainable development and institutions for future safeguarding of ecological boundaries and the boundaries of fair and just development.
We welcome you in Utrecht from June 28th to June 30th, 2023.
More practical information will follow, so be sure to keep an eye out for the Conference Page and the socials (LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter).
You can register through the Conference Page. Our conference assistant will be in touch with you within 3 work days. Requests for letters for visa applications are also handled upon registration. Please be in touch with the session organizer of your respective session to find out if your abstract has been accepted. The session overview of the conference can be found here.
Lastly, please note that early-bird tickets apply from April 14th until May 14th.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
The organizing team
Posted: 24th January 2023 by Coordinator
IOS Fair Transitions / LANDac Conference 2023
Fair Transitions and the Politics of Land – Institutions and imaginaries for inclusive futures. Welcome to the IOS Fair Transitions – LANDac International Conference of 2023! 28 June – 30 June. You can now register for the LANDac Annual Conference 2022! Click on the button below…
IOS Fair Transitions / LANDac Conference 2023 – Call for sessions
Last Updated: 17th August 2022 by Coordinator
Article: The role of protected areas and land tenure regimes on forest loss in Bolivia: accounting for spatial spillovers
By Sebastien Boillat, Graziano Ceddia
The conversion of tropical forests to croplands and grasslands is a major threat to global biodiversity, climate and local livelihoods and ecosystems. The enforcement of protected areas as well as the clarification and strengthening of collective and individual land property rights are key instruments to curb deforestation in the tropics. However, these instruments are territorial and can displace forest loss elsewhere. We investigate the effects of protected areas and various land tenureregimes on deforestation and possible spillover effects in Bolivia, a global tropical deforestation hotspot. We use a spatial Durbin model to assess and compare the direct and indirect effects of protected areas and different land tenure forms on forest loss in Bolivia from 2010 to 2017. We find that protected areas have a strong direct effect on reducing deforestation. Protected areas – which in Bolivia are all based on co-management schemes – also protect forests in adjacent areas, showing an indirect protective spillover effect. Indigenous lands however only have direct forest protection effects. Non-indigenous collective lands and small private lands, which are associated to Andean settlers, as well as non-titled lands, show a strong positive direct effect on deforestation. At the same time, there is some evidence that non-indigenous collective lands also encourage deforestation in adjacent areas, indicating the existence of spillovers. Interestingly, areas with high poverty rate tend to be less affected by deforestation whatever tenure form. Our study stresses the need to assess more systematically the direct and indirect effects of land tenure and of territorial governance instruments on land use changes
Click here to read the full article (open access)
Last Updated: 17th August 2022 by Coordinator
Fully Funded Research Opportunities at National University Singapore
There are new roles open for fully-funded research opportunities attached to our new SSRC Grant on Climate Governance of Nature-based Carbon Sinks in Southeast Asia.
The positions are for three, four-year PhD scholarships in the Department of Geography and three Research Fellowships, each up to four years, at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore.
To find out more information please visit: https://fass.nus.edu.sg/geog/2022/07/06/fully-funded-research-opportunities/
Last Updated: 17th August 2022 by Coordinator
Vacancy Post Doctoral Researcher at UvA
Are you interested in the study of nationalism and inequality and the role of the natural environment in narratives and practices around nationalist politics? Would you like to work on roles of trees in Israel/Palestine through an anthropological approach?
The Department of Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam is looking for a postdoctoral researcher who will work within the research project Political Trees: Arboreal Nationalism in Israel-Palestine initiated and led by dr. Erella Grassiani.
This study looks at trees as political tools in the world today. Trees are “the lungs of the world” and need urgent protection in view of widespread overexploitation for food, building material and many other human needs. Their cultural and spiritual meanings are manifold, and the use and protection of trees is never a simple process. This project analyses how humans turn trees into political tools and harness ecological concerns to political goals. One form of tree-based politics is planting or uprooting trees to facilitate—practically and symbolically—the occupation and settling of land. Another is resistance to deforestation, which affects indigenous people. I call such practices arboreal nationalism.
Understanding arboreal nationalism requires asking:
This project will contribute to a new understanding of the role of trees in nationalist endeavours. It will uncover the entanglement of nationalist politics and the natural environment. The project will compare the political drivers and consequences of arboreal nationalism from the perspective of local actors in Israel-Palestine. Studying this case closely will allow us to further theorize arboreal nationalism and establish urgently needed new links between the anthropology of the state, environmental studies and histories of nationalism.
What will you do
The postdoctoral researcher we are looking for will work on the sub-project ‘Political Trees in Palestine’ and will complement work already done by the principal researcher. Within this project the prospective researcher will study the multiple ways in which trees ‘matter’ to Palestinians living in the West-Bank or within the Green Line, whether this is in terms of modes of belonging, manners of protection, or resistance. The researcher will explore the way trees are at the heart of political acts, such as resistance of the military occupation and/or other forms of land grabbing.
What do we require
You have:
You are:
Our offer
We offer a temporary full-time contract for 38 hours per week (1,0 fte). The intended starting date is 1 October 2022, or shortly thereafter. The initial term of employment is for the duration of one year. Upon positive evaluation and satisfactory performance, you will be offered an extension for a maximum of 12 months (for a total employment period of two years).
The gross monthly salary based on full-time employment (38 hours per week) ranges from €3,821 to €5,230 gross per month. This is exclusive 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% end-of-year bonus. The starting salary will be based on qualifications, expertise and relevant experience. The profile ‘researcher 3’ is applicable in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities.
The UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development and education.
The postdoctoral researcher will be embedded in the programme group ‘Moving Matters’ at the department of anthropology. We offer an inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam.
About us
To work at the University of Amsterdam is to work in a discerning, independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterized by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society. Here you can read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.
The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 employees and 3,000 doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds.
A challenging work environment with a variety of duties and ample scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organization. The social and behavioral sciences play a leading role in addressing the major societal challenges faced by the world, the Netherlands and Amsterdam, now and in the future.
Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.
Questions
Do you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact:
Job Application
Do you recognize yourself in the job profile? Then we look forward to receiving your application consisting in the following documents bundled in one single .pdf by 1 September 2022:
Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.
The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritize diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.
If you encounter Error GBB451, reach out to our HR Department directly. They will gladly help you continue your application.
No agencies please.
Posted: 17th June 2022 by Coordinator
LANDac Conference 2022 Programme
The LANDac Conference 2022 is taking off soon! We are looking forward to meeting you on location in Utrecht or online on MS Teams. Do not forget to register, which you can do here: https://fd21.formdesk.com/universiteitutrecht-geo/LANDacconference
Below you can find the schematic overview of the conference. The programme of this conference will include a diversity of keynote speakers who will share their own message about the (r)evolutions in governing land for the future. This year’s key notes are Dr. Laura German (Professor of Anthropology, Director of the Center for Integrative Conservation Research, University of Georgia), Dr. Richard Sliuzas (Professor of Urban Planning for Disaster Risk Reduction, ITC University of Twente), and Pranab Ranjan Choudhury (Associate Director of the NRMC Center for Land Governance, India).
Want to read more? Click here to go to the conference page and find the full programme.
Posted: 19th May 2022 by Coordinator
Job Opportunity RVO (Dutch) – Programma Adviseur Landrechten
Sollicitatie deadline: 20 mei!
Solliciteer hier.
Binnen het team Mondiale Vraagstukken Voedselzekerheid zoeken wij een Programma Adviseur Landrechten voor ‘LAND-at-scale’.
De afdeling internationale ontwikkeling onderdeel team Mondiale vraagstukken (MV) voert diverse programma’s uit voor het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken. Deze programma’s zijn gericht op armoedebestrijding, door onder andere een bijdrage aan voedselzekerheid zoals:
De belangrijkste doelstelling van het LAND-at-scale-programma is het versterken van essentiële componenten voor landbeheer voor mannen, vrouwen en jongeren die het potentieel hebben om in belangrijke mate bij te dragen aan structurele verandering en aan rechtvaardig, duurzaam en inclusief landbeheer voor ontwikkelingslanden.
LAND-at-scale richt zich op opschaling van succesvolle pilots, ondersteuning van innovatieve interventies en investeren in meer kennis en leren om zo impact te vergroten.
Wat houdt de functie in?
Voor bovenstaande taken onderhoud je intensieve contacten met overheidsinstanties in de betrokken landen, de ambassades en de bedrijven, kennisinstellingen en/of NGO’s die de projecten uitvoeren. Ook bezoek je regelmatig deze landen en zie je toe op de uitvoering van de projecten daar.
Posted: 11th May 2022 by Coordinator
Article: Learning from Africana critical theory: A historicized contextualization of the impacts of Mozambique’s natural gas project
By Emilinah Namaganda, Kei Otsuki, and Griet Steel
Over the past decade, Mozambique’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the province of Cabo Delgado has symbolized a new development opportunity for the country. The project attracted foreign investments to the province, and the national government has used it to showcase its progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The project however also introduced various socioeconomic ills including the displacement of over 10,000 people from their homes and livelihoods. Since 2017, Cabo Delgado province has simultaneously been an epicenter of armed violence, predominantly attributed to radical Islamic insurgency, communities’ marginalization from an expanding frontier of extractivism, and overall economic development. In this paper, we argue that understanding and addressing the negative impacts of contemporary extractivism in Mozambique require a historicized contextualization. Drawing on Africana critical theory (ACT), we contribute to this scholarly gap by highlighting several ways in which the challenges presented by the LNG project in Cabo Delgado are reminiscent of or rooted in colonial extractivism. To address the contradictions of contemporary extractivism, we propose that ACT scholarship which influenced some of the progressive policies of the anti-colonial and early post-independence periods may be insightful.
Click here to read the full article (open access)
Posted: 4th May 2022 by Coordinator
Register here for the LANDac Conference 2022!
You can now register for the LANDac Annual International Conference of 2022!
Click here to go to the registration form
We are very happy that we will be able to receive you on location again. Therefore, the conference will be held in a hybrid format from 29th of June until the 1st of July.
The LANDac Annual International Conference offers a podium for knowledge exchange between researchers, practitioners and private sector representatives working on land governance for equitable and sustainable development. We invite you all to join our conference, with the central theme “Governing land for the future – What (r)evolutions do we need?”
More than a decade into the ‘land grab’ debate it is time to ask ourselves some tough questions: What have our efforts to regulate land-based investments brought us? Where did we manage to make land governance work for equity and sustainability and where did we fail? From the outset some of us were more optimistic and others more pessimistic about the possibility to ensure fair outcomes. Today, however, most would agree that whatever successes have been achieved, these have not been able to change the overall pattern of dispossession, inequality and resource depletion. Have land governance interventions just been scratching the surface?
At the 13th LANDac Annual Conference, we need to discuss what it takes to address today’s and tomorrow’s land issues. Do we need further evolution of current approaches, or rather a revolution in land governance thinking? This is an urgent question. While the early wave of mega land deals seems to have waned, on the ground alienation and dispossession continue unabated, if in more diverse and stealthy ways. Pressures on land and other natural resources seem to be increasing, authoritarianism is omnipresent, and the violence against territorial defenders and human rights activists is increasingly worrying. As we review our efforts to address these issues the question arises: Should we tune the instruments at our disposal (“evolution”)? Or do we need a more radical re-think (“revolution”)?
Click here to go to the registration form