Publications
An assessment of the metabolic profile implied by agricultural change in two rural communities in the North of Argentina Journal Article
Arizpe, Nancy; Ramos-Martín, Jesús; Giampietro, Mario
In: Environment, Development and Sustainability, 16 (4), pp. 903–924, 2014, ISSN: 1387-585X.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Biophysical accounting, Chaco, Land-time budget analysis, Multi-scale integrated analysis, Rural development, Societal metabolism, Soy expansion
@article{Arizpe2014,
title = {An assessment of the metabolic profile implied by agricultural change in two rural communities in the North of Argentina},
author = {Nancy Arizpe and Jes\'{u}s Ramos-Mart\'{i}n and Mario Giampietro},
url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10668-014-9532-y},
doi = {10.1007/s10668-014-9532-y},
issn = {1387-585X},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-08-01},
journal = {Environment, Development and Sustainability},
volume = {16},
number = {4},
pages = {903--924},
abstract = {The soy expansion model in Argentina generates structural changes in traditional lifestyles, which can be associated with different biophysical and socioeconomic impacts. To explore this issue, we apply an innovative method for integrated assessment-the multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism framework-to characterize two communities in the Chaco Region, Province of Formosa, North of Argentina. These communities have recently experienced the expansion of soy production, altering their economic activity, energy consumption patterns, land use and human time allocation. The integrated characterization presented in the paper illustrates the differences (biophysical, socioeconomic and historical) between the two communities that can be associated with different responses. The analysis of the factors behind these differences has important policy implications for the sustainable development of local communities in the area. textcopyright 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.},
keywords = {Biophysical accounting, Chaco, Land-time budget analysis, Multi-scale integrated analysis, Rural development, Societal metabolism, Soy expansion},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The soy expansion model in Argentina generates structural changes in traditional lifestyles, which can be associated with different biophysical and socioeconomic impacts. To explore this issue, we apply an innovative method for integrated assessment-the multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism framework-to characterize two communities in the Chaco Region, Province of Formosa, North of Argentina. These communities have recently experienced the expansion of soy production, altering their economic activity, energy consumption patterns, land use and human time allocation. The integrated characterization presented in the paper illustrates the differences (biophysical, socioeconomic and historical) between the two communities that can be associated with different responses. The analysis of the factors behind these differences has important policy implications for the sustainable development of local communities in the area. textcopyright 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
Self-sufficiency or surplus: Conflicting local and national rural development goals in Cambodia Journal Article
Scheidel, Arnim; Giampietro, Mario; Ramos-Martin, Jesús
In: Land Use Policy, 34 , pp. 342–352, 2013, ISSN: 02648377.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Cambodia, Economic land concessions, Land grabbing, Poverty reduction, Rural development
@article{Scheidel2013c,
title = {Self-sufficiency or surplus: Conflicting local and national rural development goals in Cambodia},
author = {Arnim Scheidel and Mario Giampietro and Jes\'{u}s Ramos-Martin},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0264837713000720},
doi = {10.1016/j.landusepol.2013.04.009},
issn = {02648377},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-09-01},
journal = {Land Use Policy},
volume = {34},
pages = {342--352},
abstract = {Cambodia is currently experiencing profound processes of rural change, driven by an emerging trend of large-scale land deals. This article discusses potential future pathways by analyzing two contrasting visions and realities of land use: the aim of the governmental elites to foster surplus-producing rural areas for overall economic growth, employment creation and ultimately poverty reduction, and the attempts of smallholders to maintain and create livelihoods based on largely self-sufficient rural systems. Based on the MuSIASEM approach, the rural economy of Cambodia and different rural system types are analyzed by looking at their metabolic pattern in terms of land use, human activity, and produced and consumed flows. The analysis shows that the pathways of self-sufficiency and surplus production are largely not compatible in the long term. Cambodia's rural labor force is expected to increase enormously over the next decades, while available land for the smallholder sector has become scarce due to the granting of Economic Land Concessions (ELC). Consequently, acceleration in rural-urban migration may be expected, accompanied by a transition from self-employed smallholders to employment-dependent laborers. If the ELC system achieves to turn the reserved land into viable agribusinesses, it might enable added value creation; however, it does not bring substantial amounts of employment opportunities to rural areas. On the contrary, ELC have high opportunity costs in terms of rural livelihoods based on smallholder land uses and thus drive the marginalization of Cambodian smallholders. textcopyright 2013 Elsevier Ltd.},
keywords = {Cambodia, Economic land concessions, Land grabbing, Poverty reduction, Rural development},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Cambodia is currently experiencing profound processes of rural change, driven by an emerging trend of large-scale land deals. This article discusses potential future pathways by analyzing two contrasting visions and realities of land use: the aim of the governmental elites to foster surplus-producing rural areas for overall economic growth, employment creation and ultimately poverty reduction, and the attempts of smallholders to maintain and create livelihoods based on largely self-sufficient rural systems. Based on the MuSIASEM approach, the rural economy of Cambodia and different rural system types are analyzed by looking at their metabolic pattern in terms of land use, human activity, and produced and consumed flows. The analysis shows that the pathways of self-sufficiency and surplus production are largely not compatible in the long term. Cambodia's rural labor force is expected to increase enormously over the next decades, while available land for the smallholder sector has become scarce due to the granting of Economic Land Concessions (ELC). Consequently, acceleration in rural-urban migration may be expected, accompanied by a transition from self-employed smallholders to employment-dependent laborers. If the ELC system achieves to turn the reserved land into viable agribusinesses, it might enable added value creation; however, it does not bring substantial amounts of employment opportunities to rural areas. On the contrary, ELC have high opportunity costs in terms of rural livelihoods based on smallholder land uses and thus drive the marginalization of Cambodian smallholders. textcopyright 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
Scheidel, Arnim
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2013, ISBN: 9788449038532.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Cambodia, Land grabbing, Rural development
@phdthesis{Scheidel2013,
title = {New challenges in rural development: A multi-scale inquiry into emerging issues, posed by the global land rush},
author = {Arnim Scheidel},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10803/120543 https://www.tdx.cat/handle/10803/120543},
isbn = {9788449038532},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-06-01},
pages = {238},
school = {Universitat Aut\`{o}noma de Barcelona},
abstract = {Within the recent years, new challenges in rural development have appeared, triggered by the emergence of a global rush for land resources. This phenomenon, well-known under the term ‘land grabbing', has produced controversial debates surrounding the question whether rising global interest in farmland and related large-scale land deals may benefit poor rural communities across countries of the global South, or whether it may drive the marginalization of the global peasantry. This doctoral dissertation presents a compilation of four research articles that address important issues, relevant to better understand debates, drivers, characteristics and impacts regarding the global land rush and its implications for rural development. In order to understand the controversial debates on potential risks and opportunities of the land rush to poor rural communities, it becomes necessary to deal with the question: what kind of poverty is aimed to be reduced? Poverty is a complex phenomenon, appearing across multiple dimensions and scales. This matters to the debates, as large-scale land deals may help to alleviate poverty in one dimension, while jeopardizing at the same time other poverty dimensions. The first article thus addresses on an epistemological and theoretical level challenges for development efforts that result from a multidimensional conceptualization of poverty. The second article investigates underlying driving forces of the land rush on a global level, in order to better understand future trajectories and implications for global rural development. Taking a biophysical perspective, the article argues that the land rush is likely not an ephemeral phenomenon, but rather might be persistent. Increasing competition and struggles over access to land might increase in the future, thus provoking new challenges for rural development on a global level. The third article illustrates for the case of Cambodia, how both the land rush and conflicting visions of rural development and poverty reduction may unfold in practice. Based on an empirical investigation at the national level, characteristics, constraints and impacts of large-scale land deals are addressed and a fundamental conflict between governmental interests and local realities of rural development is illustrated. Finally, the last article discusses how small-farmers at the village and household level may be able to deal with declining access to land. This is an issue which likely will require more attention in the future, when the land rush further unfolds. Conclusions on global rural change and the emergence of new ruralities, characterized by new economic activities and institutions, are presented. In summary, this dissertation combines general theoretical and empirical case study research in Cambodia, in order to discuss from a variety of different perspectives emerging challenges in rural development. While the dissertation points out the complex issues that rural development studies and efforts may face due to the existence of multiple scales and dimensions of rural systems, also some simple lessons and clear conclusions are presented regarding debates, drivers, impacts and future consequences of the global land rush on rural development.},
keywords = {Cambodia, Land grabbing, Rural development},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
Within the recent years, new challenges in rural development have appeared, triggered by the emergence of a global rush for land resources. This phenomenon, well-known under the term ‘land grabbing', has produced controversial debates surrounding the question whether rising global interest in farmland and related large-scale land deals may benefit poor rural communities across countries of the global South, or whether it may drive the marginalization of the global peasantry. This doctoral dissertation presents a compilation of four research articles that address important issues, relevant to better understand debates, drivers, characteristics and impacts regarding the global land rush and its implications for rural development. In order to understand the controversial debates on potential risks and opportunities of the land rush to poor rural communities, it becomes necessary to deal with the question: what kind of poverty is aimed to be reduced? Poverty is a complex phenomenon, appearing across multiple dimensions and scales. This matters to the debates, as large-scale land deals may help to alleviate poverty in one dimension, while jeopardizing at the same time other poverty dimensions. The first article thus addresses on an epistemological and theoretical level challenges for development efforts that result from a multidimensional conceptualization of poverty. The second article investigates underlying driving forces of the land rush on a global level, in order to better understand future trajectories and implications for global rural development. Taking a biophysical perspective, the article argues that the land rush is likely not an ephemeral phenomenon, but rather might be persistent. Increasing competition and struggles over access to land might increase in the future, thus provoking new challenges for rural development on a global level. The third article illustrates for the case of Cambodia, how both the land rush and conflicting visions of rural development and poverty reduction may unfold in practice. Based on an empirical investigation at the national level, characteristics, constraints and impacts of large-scale land deals are addressed and a fundamental conflict between governmental interests and local realities of rural development is illustrated. Finally, the last article discusses how small-farmers at the village and household level may be able to deal with declining access to land. This is an issue which likely will require more attention in the future, when the land rush further unfolds. Conclusions on global rural change and the emergence of new ruralities, characterized by new economic activities and institutions, are presented. In summary, this dissertation combines general theoretical and empirical case study research in Cambodia, in order to discuss from a variety of different perspectives emerging challenges in rural development. While the dissertation points out the complex issues that rural development studies and efforts may face due to the existence of multiple scales and dimensions of rural systems, also some simple lessons and clear conclusions are presented regarding debates, drivers, impacts and future consequences of the global land rush on rural development.
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