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Theme: Large-scale infrastructure; Mining Session: Large scale infrastructure development projects – how to make these investments more beneficial for all?
Thursday 9 July, 16.00 – 17.30
Chair: Ty Pham Huu (Hue University, Vietnam)
Institutional fit or misfit? A contingent ranking analysis of compensation packages for land acquisition
Vikram Patil1, Ranjan Ghosh2 and Vinish Kathuria3 (1Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, 2Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 3SJM School of Management, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay)
Abstract: A role of public participation is gaining importance in the design and sustainability of institutions of development-induced displacement and rehabilitation (DIDR) of people. At a more federal level in India, there has been a debate going on to include a ‘participation’ component in all rehabilitation policies. However, there is no clarity on the means by which participation influences such institutional fit. The main reason for this lack of clarity is that there is no study, which elicits from the affected farmers their preferences about the appropriate institutional design. We therefore, address this problem using discrete choice modelling approach on a primary dataset of farmers who are going to be displaced in near future due to an irrigation project in India. We show how institutional preference as an indicator of social fit plays an important role in contextualizing the institutional arrangements of development-induced displacement and rehabilitation. We hypothesize that given a choice farmers would prefer land or employment based compensation over contemporary monetary compensation. If true, then this indicates a mismatch between provisions of the contemporary institutional arrangements of DIDR and expectations of farmers, which will be an additional argument for institutional reforms in the current framework of compensation.
Benefit sharing from Kamchay and Lower Sesan 2 hydropower watersheds in Cambodia
Prachvuthy Men¹³, Vathana Thun², Soriya Yin³ and Louis Lebel⁴ (¹Mekong Institute of Cambodia, ²Prekleap National College of Agriculture, ³Royal University of Phnom Penh, ⁴Chiang Mai University)
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the institutions underlying different forms of benefit sharing in hydropower projects in Cambodia, through detailed analysis of two case studies: Kamchay and the Lower Sesan 2 hydro-dams. Promises on paper were compared with how benefit sharing was implemented in practice. The study found that, first, compensation and resettlement were a common, if minimalist, form of benefit sharing in Cambodia. Other forms of benefit sharing, such as environmental impact management and allocation of community development funds, were mentioned in both the EIA report and investment agreements, but have never been implemented. Second, at the national and sub-national levels, there are no comprehensive guidelines for benefit sharing, nor is there a supporting legal framework. Benefit sharing and compensation policies have been developed on a project-by-project basis. Third, hydro-dam projects do not prioritize providing electricity services to affected communities: no preferential electricity rate was given. Fourth, inter-ministerial structures have been introduced, which could improve the integration of activities, but instead have just slowed down decision-making. This study advances our knowledge on how benefits from hydro-dam projects are shared (and not shared), in practice, with prior residents of hydropower watersheds and other affected stakeholders in Cambodia.
Land grabbing and governance: The case of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
Hilde Koster (independent researcher)
Abstract: In recent years, new case studies focusing on Latin America have challenged both the agricultural focus of the academic debate on land grabbing, as well as the prevalent view that this phenomenon only occurs in fragile states.
The construction of wind turbine parks in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and the land grabbing that accompanies it, is a perfect example of such a case study. Indigenous groups oppose the construction of these parks on their land, but are obstructed in their efforts by the Mexican government and (Spanish) construction companies. International treaties on indigenous people, ratified by the Mexican government and national laws on land rights and land tenure should provide enough protection for these groups. However, national legislation tends to have conflicting land laws and in the search for new sources of energy, the Mexican government is in fact benefitting from or even facilitating these land grabs.
In this case study I will therefore examine the role of the Mexican government, taking a closer look at ‘governance’ concerning land tenure and land rights in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. By doing so, this paper contributes to studies into cases of land grabbing that occur in non-fragile states, which have hitherto received less scholarly attention than land grabbing cases in fragile states. Besides analyzing state controlled land governance, land tenure and the different stakeholders involved, this paper will also take a closer look at whether ‘codes of conduct’, as proposed by international agencies such as the World Bank or the International Fund for Agricultural Development, would be beneficial for all parties involved, including local traditional landholders.
Water and land grabs as parallel processes: a case study from Ecuador
Margherita Scazza (Utrecht University)
Abstract: Water and land grabs are parallel and highly interrelated processes; water is identified both as a target and as a driver of large-scale land investments. Often omitted from the debate on agriculture-driven land grabbing, water governance and unequal distribution are crucial elements to be included when providing a complete analysis of processes of land speculation and distribution. Water grabbing, a phenomenon occurring on a global scale, is in some contexts facilitated by the construction of large dams and mega-hydraulic projects with, among many, irrigation purposes. Ecuador offers several examples of the overlap between unequal land redistribution and waterscapes reconfiguration. The paper will develop around findings derived from a three months field research conducted in the peninsula of Santa Elena, in the south-western part of Ecuador. The construction of a dam on the rivers Daule and Peripa, part of the biggest river basin of the Pacific, and of a water transfer system connected to new irrigation schemes has contributed to the reconfiguration of the hydro-social territory, by favouring land speculation and accumulation in the hands of a powerful élite. Unequal access to water and land, displacement, livelihoods disruption and the emergence of conflicting systems of rights are among the costs originated from these projects. The mutual relationship between power and natural resources distribution is central to the issue. Social structures and power relations play a crucial role in shaping the landscape, defining the systems of rights in force and the distribution of resources, while in turn being influenced by them. Water and land governance are therefore intertwined and reciprocally influential. By studying the interactions and the relationships between different groups of actors, including landowners, small-scale farmers and public institutions, the new configuration of the hydro-social territory of Santa Elena is described. Particular attention is given to issues of land and water governance and considerations are made on their role in fostering a sustainable and equitable development.
Emerging geographies through land grabbing: resistance against the “Generación de Energía Limpia” project in Puebla, Central Mexico
Fernando Hernandez Espino (Clark University)
Abstract: In 1992, the government of Mexico enacted a structural land reform. It was the last and most contentious policy within the structural adjustment policies package that the country had undertaken since 1982. The reform aimed to dismantle communal agrarian property in favor of a land market that would more efficiently articulate the new private agrarian property with modern development projects in the country. Because the reform was promoted as voluntary, it created hybrid agrarian communities where some members opted to privatize their plots and other holders decided to keep communal titles. Under this frame this paper explores the contested geographies of land, conflict and agrarian change that have emerged with the announcement of the project “Generación de Energía Limpia” (clean energy production project), a plan to construct four hydroelectric dams in Puebla, Mexico. The project has been designed by Grupo Mexico, the largest mining company in the country, with the purpose of supplying energy for its operations in the region. However, resistance against the project has mounted, resulting in violence between supporters and adversaries. The process of negotiation and contestation between different actors and their interests speak of the new emerging geographies in Mexico in particular and in Latin America
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