The biofuel rush : beyond operational land deals

Abstract

The biofuel policies of the early 2000s have left behind them a trail of non-operational land deals. As most of these land deals are located in regions and areas with high levels of poverty and a high dependence upon land-based livelihoods, their impact on access to land and land-based resource systems appears to be an issue of critical importance. Yet, the impact of these land deals in general, and on land access in particular, has received limited attention in the scholarly literature. Access may be understood as the ability to benefit from something, which includes but goes beyond property rights. Still, property rights are an important means by which people come to benefit from resources and to the sustainable use of resources. As no studies have been done on the impact of non-operational land deals on property regimes and the implications for resource use and outcomes, this thesis seeks to shed light on this understudied topic.