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Abstract: "Large-scale land acquisition are not new in the Mekong region but have been encouraged and have
gathered momentum since the end of the 90s, particularly Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. These
acquisitions are realized by national and foreign companies from the region, particularly China,
Vietnam, and Thailand in a movement strongly associated with economic globalization and neo-liberal
policies which promote free flow of capital at the regional and global level and the adaptation of
national spaces to the requirement of liberal and global markets (Peemans, 2013). It is striking to see
how Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, with different political regimes and histories, have shifted
radically from a model based on land ownership by the State? with a relatively egalitarian land access
by family farmers, to a model encouraging long term land leases that favor the emergence of large
capitalist private and corporate owners and the abandon of land national sovereignty principles, sensu
Borras and Franco (2012). In fact, the present policies favoring large scale concessions (largely at the
expense of small holders and of indigenous peoples / ethnic minorities) can be considered as a
?counter agrarian reform”, the opposite of land reform policies promoted by both socialist countries
and by the USA (Alliance for Peace) in the 60s, although with very different modalities and objectives.
Although different factors can explain these policy shifts, in particular widespread corruption and
patrimonial practices of the political elites, on the one hand and geo-strategy and political influence of
regional powers on the other hand, this paper argues that this model of agricultural modernization
through FDI and large scale land acquisition is being promoted through the convergence of actors such
as the international agro-industrial complex, International Financial institutions (IFI), some bi-lateral
donor or government state owned funds/enterprises. The claims of this model, largely shared by the
region?s middle class and intellectuals, can be outlined as follows: 1) an inflow of FDI ? Foreign
Direct Investment - is essential for economic development; 2) large-scale agriculture is more efficient
than family farming in terms of economic development; 3) privatizing land facilitates investments and
therefore increases land and labor productivity; 4) subsistence peasant and ethnic minority farmers are
structurally incapable of agricultural development progress and would be better off if they become
wage workers; and 5) the growing ?modern economy? will naturally absorb the work force coming out
of agriculture and that of general population growth. All these assertions can be challenged to various
degrees, both form a theoretical and empirical point of view. Available evidence indicates that
economic benefits have not accrued at the level expected ? either to family farmers or to the state
treasuries ? as cash benefits have been ?privatized? by domestic power elites hidden behind nontransparent
one-party states, but also because many investments have produced disappointing results.
The increase in number of landless farmers and rising number of land conflicts poses a serious
challenge to the legitimacy and stability of the concerned states. However, although numerous case
studies can be found, the aggregated information available on the impacts of large-scale agricultural
investments is scarce. This paper will conclude by proposing as a strategy aiming to challenge the
dominant ?paradigm? of agricultural modernization based on large scale agriculture and FDI, by
research-based initiatives and policy dialogue at the regional level, as a way to improve land policies
in favor of family farmers and ethnic minorities.".....
Source/publisher:
RCSD Chiang Mai University, Transnational Institute etc.
Date of Publication:
2015-05-05
Date of entry:
2016-01-17
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- Individual Documents
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Language:
English
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Format:
pdf
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