Keeping Land Local
A new issue of the “Land Struggles” Series
We’re pleased to announce the launch of the third issue of the “Land Struggles” briefing paper series from Focus on the Global South, the Land Research Action Network, and Global Campaign for Agrarian Reform. It’s called Keeping Land Local: Reclaiming Governance from the Market.
The governance of land, forests, water bodies and natural resources has always been a deeply contested terrain, and one that has frequently resulted in conflicts among different actors who claim authority, legitimacy or expertise in making governance decisions. While local communities demand respect and protection of their rights to lands, resources and livelihoods, most national governance systems do not recognize the traditional, customary and collective rights of local users and their institutions to manage and protect them. Instead, transnational corporations, multilateral bodies, international financial institutions and many governments are increasingly promoting and putting into place market-led governance mechanisms for land, forest and water use and management, and environmental protection that prioritize short-term financial gains for a few over long term, multi-generational and multi-dimensional benefits for the majority. These governance mechanisms deny local peoples and communities access to crucial life-sustaining resources, advance the commodification of nature, and entrench an ecologically unsustainable, high carbon, economic growth driven model of production and consumption.
This collection of articles explores some of the challenges facing peasants, farmers, forest dwellers, fisher-folk, pastoralists, indigenous peoples and other local communities in their efforts to build systems for the governance of land, water, forests and natural resources that are just, participatory, ecologically sound and foster genuinely sustainable forms of living.
Keeping Land Local is a collaboration between Focus on the Global South, the Global Campaign for Agrarian Reform, and Land Research Action Network (LRAN). LRAN brings together activist researchers and peoples’ movements working on land and natural resource issues. It is coordinated by Centro de Estudios para el Cambio en el Campo Mexicano, Focus on the Global South, and Rede Social de Justiça e Direitos Humanos. For updates, articles and other information, please visit www.landaction.org.
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