Land Governance for Development
Period
04 July 2014 – 15 July 2016 (2 weeks)
Course location(s)
Utrecht (Utrecht city campus), The Netherlands
Credits
3.0 ECTS credits + Certificate of Attendance
Organizing institution
Utrecht University, Faculty of Geosciences (UU)
Course fee (incl. housing)
€ 895
Level
Master level
Large-scale acquisition of land in the global South has received a great deal of interest in the last few years. Especially following the food crisis (2003-08), and stimulated by the growing demand for biofuels, pressure on land continues to increase. This course provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the ‘land rush’ within the more general context of land governance in Africa, Asia and Latin America: the history and drivers, the diversity of stakeholders and networks involved, the urgency and current challenges, and innovative governance solutions.
Key words: interdisciplinary, land governance, land grabbing, land rights, inclusive development, sustainable development, large-scale land acquisition, natural resource management, food security, biofuels.
The large-scale acquisition of land in the global South – often referred to as land grabbing – has received much attention from academics, policy-makers and media in the last years. Especially following the food crisis (2003-08), and stimulated by the growing demand for bio-energy, pressure on land in developing countries has increased quickly. Besides the demand for agricultural land, current land acquisitions are also related to tourism development, the rush for minerals and oil, industrial development, urbanization and nature conservation. Local populations often seem defenceless in this ‘rush for land’ and governments lack capacity to address the challenges. As a result, access to and use of natural resources, particularly in the developing world, is being transformed irreversibly.
Land governance in developing countries has to deal with the multiple pressures and competing claims in balancing economic growth, environmental protection and social justice. This course provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the ‘land rush’ within the more general context of land governance in Africa, Asia and Latin America: the history and drivers of the processes, the diversity of stakeholders and networks involved, the urgency and current challenges, and innovative governance solutions.
The course is organized by the Netherlands Academy for Land Governance (LANDac), a network of organizations interested in how land governance may contribute to sustainable and inclusive development. MSc students, PhD students and professionals from development organizations and related projects will acquire up-to-date knowledge on new land pressures and learn how to place these in broader theoretical contexts and policy debates. Participants learn about best practices in land governance from different perspectives and on multiple levels, from local to international. Topics are discussed in interactive mini-courses, lectures and solution-oriented workshops. The design of the course allows for participants to closely work together with professionals, experts and fellow students from a variety of backgrounds.
The tutorials in the two-week course provide a general overview of important themes such as the global land rush, land governance, land administration and land issues in post-conflict situations. This overview is complemented by a mix of case studies that illustrate issues and trends in specific contexts, cases highlighted in previous LANDac summer schools include (trans)national land investments in Indonesia and the Philippines, government-led land acquisition and resettlement policies in India, and World Bank policies on land. The course also investigates the trend of foreigners buying real estate for residential tourism in Costa Rica, land governance solutions in countries with weak institutions such as Burkina Faso, challenges for participatory land governance in Mozambique, and coping with urban pressures on agricultural land in Vietnam. Topics are discussed from a range of perspectives, blending insights from Dutch and international academics with those of development practitioners, representatives of farmers’ organizations and government policy advisors.
COURSE LEADER
Gemma Betsema
LECTURERS
Prof. dr. Annelies Zoomers, dr. Femke van Noorloos, dr. Guus van Westen, LANDac partners and other experts from research, policy and practice
TARGET GROUP
The course is designed for Master’s students, PhD students, academics; as well as for practitioners from development organizations, projects and governments who are interested in or work in the fields of land governance, development studies, natural resource management, planning, human rights and conflict studies.
COURSE AIM
The course provides participants with thorough knowledge of current problems as well as academic and policy debates related to land and development. Participants also build understanding of practical knowledge and possible solutions. The guiding question is how to optimize the link between land governance, inclusive sustainable development and poverty alleviation.
STUDY LOAD
Mon-Fri 9-12 and 13-16 sessions
FEE
- € 895 – Course + course materials + housing
- € 560 – Course + course materials
DISCOUNTS AND COMBINATIONS AVAILABLE SOON
SCHOLARSHIPS
Utrecht Summer School doesn’t offer scholarships for this course.
MORE INFORMATION
Mirjam van Deutekom
T: 030-2539634 |
E: w.m.vandeutekom@uu.nl
REGISTRATION
Registration available soon!
Pre-registration at: g.betsema@uu.nl
Posted: 19th January 2016 by Gemma
19/01/2016 Launched: Call for abstracts LANDac Annual International Conference 2016
Now available: the call for abstracts for the 2nd international LANDac conference on 30 June and 1 July 2016. Please find the complete call here: Call for abstracts
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
15/01/2016 Overview of publications in the area of water governance
The Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitiek (German Development Institute) DIE published an overview of their 2014/2015 publications in the areas of transboundary water management, integrated water resources management, water and energy, water governance in agriculture, payments for water-related ecosystem services and other topics. The overview can be accessed here: DIE Water Publications 2014-2015_12Jan2016
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
13/01/2016 Dynamic learning events held in Africa on land governance and food security
In early 2015, the Netherlands Academy on Land Governance (LANDac) and the Food & Business Knowledge Platform (F&BKP) developed a knowledge agenda on land governance and food security. One of the activities addressed as part of the agenda was the development of three country-specific capacity building trajectories in linking land governance and food security.
Internationally, the Netherlands is rather active in the field of land governance and food security. On one hand, the Dutch have a long-standing expertise in the different aspects of land governance and on the other hand, food security is one of the main themes of the Dutch international development agenda. A great deal of knowledge exists on the link between land governance and food security, yet it is not always clear where to find updated information or how it can be used or how it can be adapted to the country-specific contexts by decision makers and development practitioners. The capacity development trajectories are aimed to make this expertise and information widely available, to translate available knowledge into policy and practice in partner countries of the Netherlands, and to enable mutual exchange and learning between countries.
In the last few months, three (pilot) trajectories have been rolled out respectively in Uganda (October 26-30), Ghana (November 23-27) and Ethiopia (December 7-11). The meetings were organized by LANDac, the F&BKP and partner organizations in these three countries and between 20 to 25 professionals working on issues of land governance and food security in their home countries were in participation. Contributors were from the fields of academia, NGOs, multi-lateral organizations, national and local governments, farmers organizations, the Netherlands Embassy and the private sector.
The four-day learning and exchange events provided participants and their organizations with knowledge to better handle issues of land governance and food security in their countries by studying, exchanging and discussing the complex linkages between the two topics. This was done through presentations given by local experts, by field visits to land-based investments and local government offices, and by developing action plans for their respective organizations.
In the three countries, communities working on land issues and those working on food security and livelihood-related topics appeared to be largely separate communities. Participants appreciated the learning events as that these two communities were brought together by linking the discussions around land to discussions of food security, both between and within sectors. Local expertise in research and practice were linked together with global debates and available knowledge and information from the Netherlands and other countries working in the field. Context is key in uncovering the complex linkages between land governance and food security in these three countries. By better sharing available knowledge as well as bringing together different stakeholders within countries, these particular strategies could be employed when addressing food security through better land governance.
As a result, preliminary outcomes included the establishment of a private sector NGO exchange forum in Uganda, the setting up of a knowledge platform in Ghana and draft guidelines and recommendations for Dutch investors in Ghana on how to increase land governance and food security in their activities.
Main outcomes and lessons learned from the three country trajectories will be shared amongst the participants and the wider public in the coming months, including a policy brief. Please keep an eye on the F&BKP website to stay updated. A synthesis meeting for Dutch stakeholders will be organized in the Netherlands in the beginning of 2016.
More information: g.betsema@uu.nl
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
LANDac 2016 International Land Conference: 30 June – 1 July 2016
On 30 June and 1 July 2016, LANDac will be organising a new International Land Conference:
Large-scale land acquisition in the context of urban sprawl and climate change – LINKING THE RURAL AND THE URBAN
This conference is a follow-up of the 2015 LANDac International Conference Land Governance for Equitable and Sustainable Development (http://www.landgovernance.org/landac-2015-international-land-conference-report-available/). The 2016 Conference aims to connect rural land debates and the urban agenda. Topics highlighted during this conference include the following:
Please find the pre-announcement and call for abstracts here:
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
14/12/2015 New publication: Theorising the Land – Violent Conflict Nexus
A new article will be published in the journal World Development (February 2016) entitled ‘Theorising the Land – Violent Conflict Nexus’ by Mathijs van Leeuwen (Leiden University, Radboud University Nijmegen) and Gemma van der Haar (Wageningen University). The full article can be accessed through this link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X15002338 (subscription required).
Summary
While disputes over land are prominent in many situations of protracted violent conflict, questions remain about the precise relationships between land and violent conflict. Political ecology and legal anthropology have rightly questioned dominant approaches in theorizing land-related conflict that are centered on scarcity and institutional failure. While underlining the contribution of these critical approaches, we argue that questions about what is actually at stake in so-called “land-conflicts”, and in particular how localized land disputes and large-scale violence get connected, are not yet adequately addressed. To further theorizing on this point the paper proposes to take on board advances made in the wider field of conflict studies, notably the notions of war as a “social project” and “warscapes”. We emphasize the importance of “alliances” between local disputes and broader cleavages, and of processes of “framing”. The added value of such a perspective is then illustrated by case-studies based on original fieldwork in Burundi and Chiapas (Mexico), that bring out how sense-making of social actors at different levels, including development interveners, interlocks through alliances and framing. We suggest that academic research should analyze how particular land-related conflicts are performed, stimulated, interpreted, and used. Our argument also implies that policy makers and development practitioners should be aware that their work is not neutral, and should be more attentive to how their programs feed into processes of sense-making and mobilization. More generally, the paper de-naturalizes the link between land and conflict and draws land conflict analysis into the realm of social practice.
Posted: 13th December 2015 by Gemma
LANDac 2015 International Land Conference – report available
The report of the 2015 LANDac International Land Conference Land Governance for Equitable and Sustainable Development is now available. Please find the report here:
LANDac 2015 Conference Report
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
GSSC Public Lecture: Annelies Zoomers
Internationales Kolleg Morphomata, Köln, Germany
Wednesday 2 December, 17.45-19.15
Annelies Zoomers, Universiteit Utrecht, Netherlands
The last two years have seen a huge amount of academic, policy-making and media interest in the increasingly contentious issue of ‘land grabbing’ – the large-scale acquisition of land in the global South. It is a phenomenon which has generated rapid processes of change, often going hand in hand with social and environmental conflicts, and one about which national governments, multilateral organizations such as the World Bank and FAO as well as civil-society organizations and action NGOs have become increasingly vocal. At the same time, the private sector is searching for ways to make their businesses more inclusive and ‘responsible’.
This lecture take a step back from the hype to explore a number of key question: What is the current state of the ‘Global Land Grab’ and under what conditions can large scale land acquisitions contribute to inclusive and sustainable development? In order to understand current land grabbing practices and to design solutions, we need to go beyond the hype and systematically scrutinize the global land grab in terms of its volume and forms, actors, and consequences.
Venue: Internationales Kolleg Morphomata, Weyertal 59, 50937 Köln, 17.45-19.15
More information
http://gssc.uni-koeln.de/node/818
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
2016 LANDac Summer School in Utrecht – pre-registration now open!
Land Governance for Development
Period
04 July 2014 – 15 July 2016 (2 weeks)
Course location(s)
Utrecht (Utrecht city campus), The Netherlands
Credits
3.0 ECTS credits + Certificate of Attendance
Organizing institution
Utrecht University, Faculty of Geosciences (UU)
Course fee (incl. housing)
€ 895
Level
Master level
Large-scale acquisition of land in the global South has received a great deal of interest in the last few years. Especially following the food crisis (2003-08), and stimulated by the growing demand for biofuels, pressure on land continues to increase. This course provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the ‘land rush’ within the more general context of land governance in Africa, Asia and Latin America: the history and drivers, the diversity of stakeholders and networks involved, the urgency and current challenges, and innovative governance solutions.
Key words: interdisciplinary, land governance, land grabbing, land rights, inclusive development, sustainable development, large-scale land acquisition, natural resource management, food security, biofuels.
The large-scale acquisition of land in the global South – often referred to as land grabbing – has received much attention from academics, policy-makers and media in the last years. Especially following the food crisis (2003-08), and stimulated by the growing demand for bio-energy, pressure on land in developing countries has increased quickly. Besides the demand for agricultural land, current land acquisitions are also related to tourism development, the rush for minerals and oil, industrial development, urbanization and nature conservation. Local populations often seem defenceless in this ‘rush for land’ and governments lack capacity to address the challenges. As a result, access to and use of natural resources, particularly in the developing world, is being transformed irreversibly.
Land governance in developing countries has to deal with the multiple pressures and competing claims in balancing economic growth, environmental protection and social justice. This course provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the ‘land rush’ within the more general context of land governance in Africa, Asia and Latin America: the history and drivers of the processes, the diversity of stakeholders and networks involved, the urgency and current challenges, and innovative governance solutions.
The course is organized by the Netherlands Academy for Land Governance (LANDac), a network of organizations interested in how land governance may contribute to sustainable and inclusive development. MSc students, PhD students and professionals from development organizations and related projects will acquire up-to-date knowledge on new land pressures and learn how to place these in broader theoretical contexts and policy debates. Participants learn about best practices in land governance from different perspectives and on multiple levels, from local to international. Topics are discussed in interactive mini-courses, lectures and solution-oriented workshops. The design of the course allows for participants to closely work together with professionals, experts and fellow students from a variety of backgrounds.
The tutorials in the two-week course provide a general overview of important themes such as the global land rush, land governance, land administration and land issues in post-conflict situations. This overview is complemented by a mix of case studies that illustrate issues and trends in specific contexts, cases highlighted in previous LANDac summer schools include (trans)national land investments in Indonesia and the Philippines, government-led land acquisition and resettlement policies in India, and World Bank policies on land. The course also investigates the trend of foreigners buying real estate for residential tourism in Costa Rica, land governance solutions in countries with weak institutions such as Burkina Faso, challenges for participatory land governance in Mozambique, and coping with urban pressures on agricultural land in Vietnam. Topics are discussed from a range of perspectives, blending insights from Dutch and international academics with those of development practitioners, representatives of farmers’ organizations and government policy advisors.
COURSE LEADER
Gemma Betsema
LECTURERS
Prof. dr. Annelies Zoomers, dr. Femke van Noorloos, dr. Guus van Westen, LANDac partners and other experts from research, policy and practice
TARGET GROUP
The course is designed for Master’s students, PhD students, academics; as well as for practitioners from development organizations, projects and governments who are interested in or work in the fields of land governance, development studies, natural resource management, planning, human rights and conflict studies.
COURSE AIM
The course provides participants with thorough knowledge of current problems as well as academic and policy debates related to land and development. Participants also build understanding of practical knowledge and possible solutions. The guiding question is how to optimize the link between land governance, inclusive sustainable development and poverty alleviation.
STUDY LOAD
Mon-Fri 9-12 and 13-16 sessions
FEE
DISCOUNTS AND COMBINATIONS AVAILABLE SOON
SCHOLARSHIPS
Utrecht Summer School doesn’t offer scholarships for this course.
MORE INFORMATION
Mirjam van Deutekom
T: 030-2539634 |
E: w.m.vandeutekom@uu.nl
REGISTRATION
Registration available soon!
Pre-registration at: g.betsema@uu.nl
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
New publication: Africa’s land rush
Africa has been at the centre of a “land grab” in recent years, with investors lured by projections of rising food prices, growing demand for “green” energy, and cheap land and water rights. But such land is often also used or claimed through custom by communities. What does this mean for Africa? In what ways are rural people’s lives and livelihoods being transformed as a result? And who will control its land and agricultural futures?
The case studies explore the processes through which land deals are being made; the implications for agrarian structure, rural livelihoods and food security; and the historical context of changing land uses, revealing that these land grabs may resonate with, even resurrect, forms of large-scale production associated with the colonial and early independence eras. The book depicts the striking diversity of deals and dealers: white Zimbabwean farmers in northern Nigeria, Dutch and American joint ventures in Ghana, an Indian agricultural company in Ethiopia’s hinterland, European investors in Kenya’s drylands and a Canadian biofuel company on its coast, South African sugar agribusiness in Tanzania’s southern growth corridor, in Malawi’s “Greenbelt” and in southern Mozambique, and white South African farmers venturing onto former state farms in the Congo.
Ruth Hall is Associate Professor at the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa; Ian Scoones is a Professorial Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex and Director of the ESRC STEPS Centre; Dzodzi Tsikata is Associate Professor at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) at the University of Ghana, Legon.
More information and order:
James currey
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
21 December 2015: Urban land grab or fair urbanization?
On 21 December, Nguyen Quang Phuc from the College of Economics (HCE) Hue University, Vietnam, will publicly defend his PhD thesis ‘Urban land grab or fair urbanization?’ in Utrecht – Academiegebouw.
Please see Events – urban land grab for more information.