Land Governance for Development

Land is again a priority in international development research and cooperation. Large-scale land acquisitions have become a hot topic. New actors – both foreign and domestic – are buying up large tracts of land in developing countries for growing export crops and biofuel crops, but also for tourism, mining, industrial development and nature conservation. As a result, access to and use of land is being reshaped profoundly: new types of land use may clash with existing land use and local interests. Land governance in developing countries has to find ways to deal with multiple pressures and competing claims. As such, tenure security and social protection deserve a renewed attention. This course, organized by LANDac (the Netherlands Academy on Land Governance for Equitable and Sustainable Development), will introduce students to the multiple dimensions of land governance in Africa, Asia, Latin America and beyond. Students will acquire the most up-to-date knowledge on new land pressures and learn how to place these in broader theoretical debates. In addition, they will learn about best practices in land governance from different contexts and on different levels: local, national and international. The topics are discussed in mini-courses including lectures and solution-oriented practicals led by recognised experts from academia, policy and practice.

» Download the day-to-day programme (PDF)