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Econ02


African land futures 
Convenors:
Howard Stein (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor)
Laura German (University of Georgia)
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Format:
Panel
Streams:
Economy and Development (x) Conservation & Land Governance (y)
Location:
Philosophikum, S58
Sessions:
Friday 2 June, -, -
Time zone: Europe/Berlin

Short Abstract:

Panel on "African land futures" seeks to: (i) explore the implications of the current moment (e.g., the drive to commodify and financialize land, climate change) for future land and livelihood trajectories; and (ii) imagine alternative futures and the concrete actions that would enable them.

Long Abstract:

Land in Africa has been at the forefront of global knowledge production, policy experimentation and intervention - be it as the last frontier of arable farmland and the drive to commodify and financialize it; rural vulnerabilities in the face of climate change; or the missionary zeal with which conservation, large scale investment, ecosystem restoration and the formalization of customary land rights have been approached. As a frontier of extraction and knowledge production globally, African land futures are being strongly shaped in the present moment - establishing path dependencies likely to reverberate far into the future. This panel will explore "African land futures" from diverse perspectives, seeking both (i) to crystalize the implications of the current moment for future land trajectories and (ii) to imagine alternative futures and the concrete actions that would be needed to enable them.

All contributions on the theme are welcome. We are aiming for a panel that is critical in orientation, but methodologically diverse - including papers grounded in epistemological/ ontological analysis on the construction of possible futures, and statistical analyses on the projected impacts of potentially transformational policies. Particularly welcome are papers that: move beyond conventional thinking on the SDGs, poverty alleviation and food security (or critically analyze futures engendered by it); interrogate the productivity of and values advanced through commercial vs. smallholder production systems; analyze how foreclosed or open land futures remain (e.g., based on the current allocation of arable and semi-arid land); and explore how climate change will narrow or shift possible futures.

Accepted papers:

Session 1 Friday 2 June, 2023, -
Session 2 Friday 2 June, 2023, -