The conference was based on the assumption that progressive change in land policies and policy implementation is best achieved through the interactions between different, often conflicting, key actors: rural social movements, policy experts at national and international development institutions and NGOs, as well as national governments and academics. In the context of the necessary interactions of these key actors, there is a need to deepen and broaden our understanding about how best to achieve social justice, sustainable development and the eradication of poverty. The implementation of appropriate land policies will be a key factor in the attainment of these goals.

The conference had two parts. The first part (9-10 January) was a civil society conference. More than 150 leaders of peasant movements, NGOs, research institutions and some academics participated in this two-day conference where the various organizations discussed, debated and reached consensus on several issues that are relevant to their pursuit of pro-poor land policies and sustainable livelihoods. The civil society conference was co-organized by the Foodfirst Information and Action Network (FIAN – www.fian.org), in close coordination with La Via Campesina (www.viacampesina.org), today’s largest international movement of poor peasants and small farmers from the global South and North, and the Land Research and Action Network (LRAN – www.landaction.org). Many organizations that participated were also partners of the Inter-Church Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO) which was the main partner of the ISS for this conference, as well as Novib, Cordaid, and the Belgian 11.11.11. The second part of the conference (12-14 January) brought together the civil society activists, policy experts from international development institutions, as well as academics. There were more than registered participants, the overwhelming majority of whom came from outside the Netherlands. The interaction between the rural social movement activists, international policy experts and academics was extremely stimulating, which gave the conference a unique character in the co-production and mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge.

Land Issues at ISS

It was not a coincidence that the ISS organized and hosted the conference. Since its foundation, it has been concerned with the issues of land, rural poverty and social justice. Just to mention some of the past ISS researchers who have done major contribution to these issues were: Ernst Feder, David Baytelman, Raymond Apthorpe, Henk van Roosmalen, Kurt Martin and Ken Post. Many current staff continue to work on these issues. One recent initiative within this theme is the ISS-UNDP joint research on land and poverty that brought together 20 researchers worldwide. The product of this research is a cross-national comparative study of land-poverty issues ten developing and transition countries, and is put together in a forthcoming edited book. The launch of this edited book will also formally start the ‘Routledge/ISS Book Series in Land and Livelihoods.’ Some of the papers presented at the land conference together with some additional contributions will become part of the new book series.

The push for sustain research and teaching interest on land themes at the ISS is very timely because there are clear signals that indeed land has been fully resurrected back onto the agendas of academic research and intergovernmental development institutions. In fact on 6-10 March 2006, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the U.N. and the Brazilian government organized the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD) held in Porto Alegre, Brazil on 6-10 March 2006 (www.icarrd.org). Three ISS staff actively participated at the ICARRD conference.

Discussions and Debates at the Conference

A great variety of issues were discussed at the conference as can be seen from the rich programme which included four keynote speakers, two panels with ten experts, and 24 workshops. Overall, more than 100 papers were presented (most of them are available in the ISS website: www.iss.nl/land/). Several conclusions can be drawn from the varied and rich discussions. What follows is just one possible interpretation of some of the main conclusions. Summarising it is possible to put forward a number of key lessons.

First, the land problem in the contemporary neoliberal globalisation period requires a broader understanding than in the past. The land issue has to be framed in an interdisciplinary context which explores the interconnections between various aspects related to the land issue. Furthermore, the land question has to be broadened to embrace the meaning of ‘territory’ which allows raising questions like who controls the natural resources (land, water, forestry, minerals, etc.), what are the social and political rights of the people (especially indigenous) living in that local space, how best to ensure the biodiversity and ecological sustainability of a territory, and so on.

Second, the resolution of the land question, understood in terms of achieving a dignified living standard for the rural poor, cannot be achieved within the rural sector itself and requires a new development strategy and interaction between the rural and urban sectors which overcomes the limitations of the current neoliberal model.

Third, furthermore, a sustainable solution to the land question cannot be obtained within the confines of the nation state but requires a new world system which establishes just and equal relationship between the North and the South. The process of globalisation means that problems like biodiversity, unfair trading practices, food security (or ‘food sovereignty’), ecological degradation, technology, finance, and so on, have to be dealt within a new international system.

Fourth, the issue of how best to increase the productivity of peasant farms remains an important challenge. Transnational companies have offered a solution: genetically modified (GM) seeds. But many rural social movement organizations as well as environmentalists are radically opposed to such a technology. If GM seeds are rejected then other alternatives must be offered to the peasantry, as otherwise they will continue to lose the race with capitalist farmers and the technological gap which already exists in many countries between capitalist and peasant farmers will continue to widen and lead to the further displacement of the peasantry.

Fifth, the land problem is not just an issue which concerns the peasantry and indigenous peoples but is of crucial importance for all citizens in the city and countryside and in the South as well as in the North. It requires the greater or lesser intervention of all the people so as achieve the elimination of poverty, equity, social justice and sustainable development. Finally, redistributive land reform is a necessary but not sufficient condition to eradicate poverty and inequality in the rural areas. Other factors are equally crucial. Three broadly distinct but interrelated factors are critical: (i) the rural poor have to form their own independent organizations and movements and launch relentless mobilizations and political pressure ‘from below’; (ii) a pro-reform national political coalition needs to gain state power so as to carry out a development agenda which includes land reform as well as ‘growth with equity’ economic policies; and (iii) redistribution of land must be accompanied by large-scale public investment, state loans and technical assistance so as to ensure that the land reform is ‘productivity-enhancing.’ A key factor in the elimination of the anti-peasantry discriminatory factor of today’s global market forces is a more equitable distribution of economic assets. This, of course, has to be complemented with a redistribution of social and political power in favour of the poor.

The ISS Land Conference Committee

Crisóbal Kay (Chair), Max Spoor (Vice-Chair), Haroon Akram Lodhi, Eric Ross, and Jun Borras (Head of the Secretariat). For further information, visit: www.iss.nl; for enquiries, send an email to: land@iss.nl or borras@iss.nl.