Land Governance in Transition: How to Support Transformations That Work for People and Nature?

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2020)

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
LANDac & Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Interests: land governance; ecotourism & nature conservation; livelihood analysis

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Guest Editor
Department of Human Geography and Planning – Social Urban Transitions, Faculty of Geosciences, LANDac & Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, Room 6.70, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
Interests: rural development; food & nutrition security; farmer market linkages

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Co-Guest Editor
Pieter de la Courtgebouw/Faculty of Social Sciences, African Studies Centre, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands
Interests: Africa in the world; political anthropology; religion and development; migration; land issues; informal workers; West-Africa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Human Geography and Planning—Social Urban Transitions, Faculty of Geosciences, LANDac & Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, Room 5.34, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
Interests: socioenvironmental justice; climate adaptation; ecosystem services and restoration; stewardship of the commons
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to submit your paper for open access publication in the Land Special Issue “Land Governance in Transition: How to Support Transformations That Work for People and Nature?”.

This Special Issue looks at land governance through the lens of transformations. It distinguishes between transformations at two levels: First is the institutional level. This Special Issue scrutinizes the changes that have taken place in land policy, land governance, and intervention approaches. How do institutions respond to these changes? And to what level do they themselves transform? Second is the level of impact on stakeholders. What consequences are observed for certain land governance and interventions? What are the long-term impacts on land, water, and food?

This Special Issue looks back at the decade since the land grab “hype” began, analyzing the transformation processes that have taken place at 1) the level of institutions and 2) in those locations where interventions have been made. We aim to revisit our understanding of the implications of investment flows for food security, livelihood, and sustainable development.

To achieve this objective, we also need to take upcoming challenges into account. Land governance takes place in the context of climate change and the increasing, often conflicting pressures on land and natural resources, that unleash new issues. Some examples include climate displacement and migration, ecosystem restoration and green grabbing, and the rise of informal settlements.

How do we pave the way for transformations in land governance that minimize negative inter- and externalities, and that balance between stakeholder groups? How do we put our knowledge and experience to work and support transformations that benefit both people and nature?

This Special Issue emerges from contributions to the LANDac Annual International Conference that takes place 4–5 July 2019, in Utrecht, the Netherlands. You are invited to submit your abstract by 15 December 2019 and full papers by 15 January 2020. Contributions may address several topics, for example:

  1. Inclusive Land Governance: Gender and Migration
  2. Urban Land Dynamics, Infrastructure and Deltas
  3. Community Rights: Climate Change and Natural Resource Management
  4. Realities of Dispossession, Displacement and Resettlement
  5. Land Governance and Agribusiness
  6. Land Governance in Practice: Approaches and Tools
  7. Land Governance and New Technologies

Ms. Chantal Wieckardt
Dr. Ellen Mangnus
Dr. Mayke Kaag
Dr. Marthe Derkzen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • land governance
  • land rights
  • water–energy–food nexus
  • displacement
  • inclusive cities
  • land investments
  • UN SDGs
  • land-based financing
  • land data and technology
  • multistakeholder approach

Published Papers (2 papers)

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26 pages, 348 KiB  
Article
Agribusiness Facing Its Limits: The Re-Design of Neoliberalization Strategies in the Exporting Agriculture Sector in Chile
by Alexander Panez, Ilka Roose and Rodrigo Faúndez
Land 2020, 9(3), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9030066 - 26 Feb 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4585
Abstract
The core neoliberal strategy of Chilean agrarian politics has lasted now for more than 30 years. Despite minor reforms, its fundamental pillars remain in place. While members of the agribusiness sector consider this strategy to be a role-model for food production leading to [...] Read more.
The core neoliberal strategy of Chilean agrarian politics has lasted now for more than 30 years. Despite minor reforms, its fundamental pillars remain in place. While members of the agribusiness sector consider this strategy to be a role-model for food production leading to explosive economic growth, the last decade exposed its socio-ecological limits, such as declining water availability and increased conflicts over land. Taking critical literature on neoliberalization as a theoretical approach, we used law and literature reviews as well as qualitative interviews with actors from the public and private sectors to reveal the details of the strategies in the exporting agriculture sector in Chile. From the understanding of neoliberalization as a multi-layered process, we analyzed the data, focusing on three dimensions of agribusiness in Chile: (a) regulation, (b) spatial fix, and (c) ideological paradigms. In doing so, we uncovered how far the coping strategies chosen by the state and private sector have re-designed and strengthened the process of agriculture neoliberalization in order to push its own socio-ecological limits. Full article

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13 pages, 282 KiB  
Perspective
The Drivers of Maize Area Expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa. How Policies to Boost Maize Production Overlook the Interests of Smallholder Farmers
by Romy Santpoort
Land 2020, 9(3), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9030068 - 28 Feb 2020
Cited by 55 | Viewed by 6198
Abstract
Maize has become the second most produced crop in the world. Specifically, in sub-Saharan Africa, global statistics show that more and more land is being used for (small-scale) maize production to meet future food demands. From 2007 to 2017, the area on which [...] Read more.
Maize has become the second most produced crop in the world. Specifically, in sub-Saharan Africa, global statistics show that more and more land is being used for (small-scale) maize production to meet future food demands. From 2007 to 2017, the area on which maize is grown in sub-Saharan Africa has increased by almost 60%. This rate of expansion is considered unsustainable and is expected to come at the expense of crop diversity and the environment. Based on available literature, this paper explores the political and economic processes that contributed to the increased use of land for maize production in sub-Saharan Africa. It discusses population growth as an important driver. Moreover, it unravels some of the politics and narratives triggered by climate change that have paved the way for policy measures that aimed to boost maize production in the region. These measures, which often emphasize the need for increased production, the need for new technologies and resource scarcity, overlook the largest group of maize producers that are least powerful, but most crucial for food security in sub-Saharan Africa: smallholder farmers. Full article
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