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
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.
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
12/10/2015 Now online: Photo’s LANDac conference
Photo’s taken during the 3-day LANDac conference (8-10 July 2015) are now available online. Please check the LANDac Land governance for development Flickr account:
Flickr LANDac
Last Updated: 28th June 2019 by Gemma
New vacancy: Technical editor at Geomares BV
Vacancy in Dutch:
Technical editor
Geomares BV, Lemmer, the Netherlands
Functieomschrijving
Ben jij de nieuwe Technical Editor voor GIM International, Hydro International en Geo-matching.com? Op korte termijn heeft Geomares Publishing ruimte voor een Technical Editor met passie voor de combinatie redactie en techniek. Onze nieuwe Technical Editor bouwt verder mee aan de leidende positie van onze merken binnen de geomatics business. Hij of zij weet snel een relevant netwerk te bouwen onder auteurs, kent de verschillende functies van online en print publicatiekanalen, heeft kennis van de geomatics en hydrografische business (of weet deze snel te verwerven) én weet Engelstalige teksten van auteurs over de hele wereld snel te redigeren tot een publicabel verhaal maar draait zijn hand ook niet om voor een zelfgeschreven artikel. De Technical Editor bewaakt de inhoudelijke koers van de publicaties in samenspraak met externe- en interne collega’s van de redactie.
Dagelijkse werkzaamheden zullen onder meer bestaan uit het redigeren en schrijven van artikelen, screenen van nieuwe inhoud (samen met collega-redacteuren) voor de sites en tijdschriften, voorstellen doen voor nieuwe artikelen en meedenken en uitvoering geven aan constante doorontwikkeling van de sites en tijdschriften.
Functie-eisen
Herken jij je in onderstaand profiel? Dan willen we graag dat je ons team komt versterken:
Je hebt:
Je bent:
We bieden:
Bedrijfsprofiel
Geomares Publishing is een internationale uitgeverij van toonaangevende business-to-business media voor professionals werkzaam in geomatica en hydrografie. Geomares biedt een leuke kans aan een Technical Editor die zin heeft om in een klein, jong en enthousiast team, in een informele en internationale omgeving, te werken aan publicaties met de wereld als werkveld.
Wil jij in aanmerking komen voor deze functie, dan zien we graag je reactie voor 1 november a.s. tegemoet. Je kunt een cv met een motivatie sturen naar Durk Haarsma, uitgever bij Geomares Publishing, e-mailadres durk.haarsma@geomares.nl. Wil je eerst meer informatie, bel dan met Durk Haarsma op 0514-561854.
Acquisitie naar aanleiding van deze advertentie wordt niet op prijs gesteld!
Link naar vacature op de Nationale Vacaturebank:
NationaleVacaturebank.nl
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
25/09/2015 New LANDac publication – The moving frontiers of genetically modified soy production
LANDac PhD Lucia Goldfarb and LANDac partner Gemma van der Haar (Sociology of Development and Change group at Wageningen University) have published a new article titled ‘The moving frontiers of genetically modified soy production: shifts in land control in the Argentinian Chaco’. The article was published in the Journal of Peasant Studies on 23 September 2015.
Summary
This article attempts to understand how control over land (power in practice) is built, achieved and contested in the context of land transfers involving pressures over possession rights in Santiago del Estero in northern Argentina. Here new forms of land control – due to expansion of the speculative, soy and cattle frontiers – are changing and involve new relationships while using novel mechanisms to gain and maintain control. The article adopts the notion of shifting ‘frontiers of land control’ as an analytical lens, following Lund and Peluso (2011). We can say that the process of soy and cattle expansion into the new frontiers happens through a group of different mechanisms which range from voluntary purchase to violent evictions. As shifts in land control in the frontier involve pressures on possession rights, we observe different mechanisms of control, mainly in the direction of dispossession and enclosure. The paper adds to the debate on ‘land grabbing’ by (a) showing how domestic investors operate to advance industrial agriculture and (b) showing how this frontier advances in a context of (rather unsecured) possession rights where rights are being shifted through transfers (sales, leases, evictions) and compensation mechanisms as well as conflict and judicial procedures.
Link: online access
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alternative_heat/7544933130
Last Updated: 25th September 2019 by Gemma
LANDdialogue | Rabobank statement on land rights
The Dutch bank Rabobank has published a statement on land rights. The statement refers to the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security, as well as mentioning the importance of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). The full text of this statements (in Dutch) is available here.
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
Now open for registration: Workshop Land Governance & Food Security in Uganda
Now open for registration: LANDac Workshop Land Governance and Food Security in Uganda
When: 26-30 October 2015 (5 days, 4 nights)
Where: Source of the Nile Hotel, Jinja , Uganda
Access to land is vital for inclusive economic growth, sustainable development and food security. Globalization increases national and international pressures on land for food production; but also tourism, urbanization, nature conservation, mining, climate change, etc. spur the demand for land. Diverging interests and competing claims need to be managed – to prevent conflict, to protect local rights and livelihoods, to stimulate inclusive economic development and ensure food security, from the global to the household level. Land governance is essential in managing these processes of inclusion and exclusion.
Workshop
This workshop introduces participants to state-of-the-art knowledge and current debates on the linkages between land governance and food security in Uganda. Participants will share own experiences and learn about best practices in land governance, policies and regulations, and how to optimize the food security outcomes of activities. Topics are discussed in interactive mini-courses, presentations by local experts, solution-oriented workshops and field visits. Topics include: international and national land and food policies; the role of local governments, farmer organizations, civil society and private sector in land governance and food security; access to land for food production; gender and land; and conflict transformation.
This workshop is part of a Netherlands Land Academy (LANDac) & Food and Business Knowledge Platform (F&BKP) learning trajectory that also includes pre-workshop assignments and (post-workshop) networking and continued coaching and reflection.
Target group
Policy makers, civil society, private sector, researchers, journalists, other interested stakeholders
More information
Gerard Baltissen (g.baltissen@kit.nl)
Gemma Betsema (g.betsema@uu.nl)
Please feel free to contact us for a day-to-day programme and further details!
Deadline for registration: 3 October 2015
Workshop costs: UGX 1,600,000 (including full board accommodation (four nights) and field work; transport costs to and from the venue not included)
Background
Together with the Food & Business Knowledge Platform (F&BKP: www.knowledge4food.net), one of the five knowledge platforms of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, LANDac has developed a knowledge agenda on land governance and food security. Two activities have been taken up in the context of this agenda: a scoping study on the linkages between land governance and food security, and the current capacity building trajectory.
Capacity building trajectory Land Governance & Food Security
LANDac has developed a capacity building trajectory on land governance and food security. The main component of this activity are three country-specific workshops for policy makers, development practitioners and private sector stakeholders in Ethiopia, Ghana and Uganda. The aim of these five-day capacity building trajectories is to provide participants and their organizations with the knowledge to deal with issues of land governance and food security in their countries. Four issues central to this objective include an increased understanding of the complex linkages between land governance and food security; offering practical tools for improvement; linking up experts in countries; and scaling up of individual capacities to organizational and societal level. A related output of the capacity building trajectory is the updating and expansion of the existing LANDac country factsheets on land governance and food security (2012).
Since our start in 2010, LANDac has been organizing annual two-week short courses on ‘Land Governance for Development’ within the context of the Utrecht University Summer School programme (see: Utrecht Summer School LANDac). The courses take place each summer in Utrecht (early July). 2015 Marked the sixth edition of this course, with 30 students, practitioners and policy makers from around the world. The course introduces participants to the multidisciplinary analysis of the ‘land rush’ within the context of land governance. Building on our experiences with the summer school, together with the outcomes and findings of other LANDac activities, we have now, together with the Food & Business Knowledge Programme, engaged in the setting up of a capacity building trajectory on Land Governance and Food Security. The workshops will introduce participants from all sectors (academia, civil society, government, media, private sector etc.) to the complex and multi-level linkages that exist between land governance and food security. Participants will be presented with the available knowledge and experiences that exists within their country (presented by country experts) as well as available knowledge at a global level, on issues of land governance and food security. Special attention will be given to the practical application of this information to individual and organizational contexts in which the participants operate in their daily work.
Last Updated: 28th June 2019 by Gemma
New CIFOR vacancy: Gender Post-Doctoral Fellow – Globalized trade and investments
Gender Post-Doctoral Fellow – Globalized trade and investments
The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is a nonprofit, global research organization dedicated to advancing human well-being, environmental conservation and equity.
We conduct research that enables more informed and equitable decision making about the use and management of tropical and sub-tropical forest landscapes. We help policy makers and practitioners shape effective policy, improve the management of tropical forests and address the needs and perspectives of people who depend on forests for their livelihoods. Our multidisciplinary approach considers the underlying drivers of deforestation and degradation which often lie outside the forestry sector: forces such as agriculture, infrastructure development, trade and investment policies and law enforcement.
Overview
CIFOR is seeking a qualified, committed and collaborative post-doctoral fellow to undertake research on gender and agribusiness expansion in tropical countries. The successful candidate will document the mediating factors that affect rural women and men in the process of agribusiness expansion, and assess how different outcomes can be realized under smallholder-inclusive investment models. The post-doctoral fellow will be a part of the CGIAR Research Consortium on Forest, Trees and Agroforestry (CRP FTA) Flagship 5 on “Global Trade and Investments”, and work closely with researchers at CRP Policy Institutions and Markets (PIM) and CRP Water Land and Ecosystems (WLE), focusing on the gender differentiated impacts of large-scale land and water acquisition.
Duties and responsibilities
• Carrying out a review of literature on gender and agribusiness expansion; assessing whether and how different policy responses (such as responsible investments policies, regulatory safeguards and codes of conduct – among others) take into account gender issues linked to commercial commodity investments
• Designing a detailed research protocol to conduct primary research on policy process and local level impacts; analyzing primary and secondary data
• Developing a strategy for engaging with both research and boundary partners, and informing key government and donor strategies on agribusiness expansion
• Authoring reports, working papers, briefing notes peer-reviewed journal articles addressing the knowledge gap on gender-differentiated outcomes and gender inclusive investment models
• Responding to relevant call for proposals, and providing support fundraising efforts
• Disseminating knowledge products to relevant policy actors and monitoring their impacts.
Education, knowledge and experience
• A PhD in a gender related issues in any of the following disciplines: development studies, economics, sociology, anthropology and other relevant disciplines. A solid foundation in political economy or political ecology
• A minimum of two years, hands-on experience with gender and natural resource management, forestry, environmental management required
• Sound command of qualitative and quantitative research methods applied to developing country contexts
• Experience in developing and facilitating training, workshops and/or events (with a gender theme preferred)
• Excellent skills in synthesis and review
• Fluency in spoken and written English at a professional level. A second language preferred (such as French, Swahili, Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesia)
• Proven ability to work collaboratively in cross- cultural contexts with researchers, policymakers, donors, and civil society
• Emerging international, peer-reviewed publications record
• Experience in proposal development/writing required and fundraising preferred.
Personal Attributes and Competencies
• Excellent facilitation skills
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and complete tasks with an attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to multi-task and work to tight deadlines
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills
• Values the sharing of information in a collaborative atmosphere of constructive evaluation and learning
• Willingness to travel as required.
Terms and Conditions
• This is a Post-Doctoral Fellow position. CIFOR offers competitive remuneration, commensurate with skills and experience
• The appointment will be for a period of two years, inclusive nine-month probationary period, with a possibility of extension contingent upon performance, continued relevance of the position and available resources. Maximum assignment of Post-Doctoral Fellow is four years.
• The duty station will be at CIFOR Headquarters in Bogor, Indonesia or CIFOR Hub in Nairobi, Kenya.
Application process
The application deadline is 30 September 2015.
We will acknowledge all applications, but will contact only short-listed candidates.
More information: Download