Summerschool LANDac

This course is part of the IS-Academy on Land Governance, a partnership of IDS (UU), the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and several other knowledge institutions (ASC Leiden, CDS Wageningen, KIT Amsterdam) and NGOs (Agriterra, HIVOS) and the private sector (Triodos Facet). The IS-academy conducts research and training on how land governance may contribute to equitable and sustainable development in line with the Millennium Development Goals.

Evidence shows new trends in the use and control of land that challenge existing governance systems. Market liberalisation and the rise of internet have opened the way for foreign and other non-local buyers to acquire land in many developing countries. Recently, huge areas are bought for growing bio-fuels and food for export, which may clash with existing uses and local interests. Tourism, mining, industrial development and nature conservation also claim extensive areas. In all of these cases, commoditization of land, globalization and new technologies reshape the use and access to land for local and non-local actors. As a result, land governance in developing countries has to find ways to deal with multiple pressures and competing claims: tenure security and social protection deserve a renewed attention.

The course will introduce students to the multiple dimensions of land governance from a development perspective. They will learn what pressures land governance currently has to cope with and how best practices from different contexts manage to handle new conditions. The topics are discussed in mini-courses including lectures and solution-oriented practicals led by recognised experts in the field.