5 Sweet and Bitter: Trajectories of Sugar Cane Investments in Northern Luzon, the Philippines, and Aceh, Indonesia, 2006–13

Abstract

Sweet and bitter: trajectories of sugar cane investments in Northern Luzon, the Philippines, and Aceh, Indonesia, 2006-13 Shohibuddin, M.; Alano, M.L.; Nooteboom, G. Disclaimer/Complaints regulationsIf you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: http://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. AbstractThis chapter aims to understand the complex process of investment and land deal making through the in-depth study of three cases of sugar cane investment in the Philippines and Indonesia. It focuses on three different trajectories of sugar cane schemes-one in northern Luzon, the Philippines, and two in Aceh, Indonesia. By means of a processual approach, the chapter identifies critical junctures-defined as crucial moments of dealmaking and interactions in which relations among actors are renegotiated-at which the investments took decisive turns. These are the collaboration of investors and bureaucratic cooperation between different levels of government; control of the development agenda; land deal making and control over land; control of labour; and curbing resistance. The chapter thus shows that investments in sugar cane and bioethanol-which often involve land deals-usually turn out differently than originally envisaged. Implementation problems arise due to the competing strategies and interests of investors, government departments, workers, landowners, and brokers, and due to specific historical and institutional constellations. Therefore, it can be argued that the implementation of investment schemes cannot simply be understood as the implementation of a contract or an already-planned programme; it should rather be understood as a constant process of negotiation and adaptation. In such a context, the identification of critical junctures is crucial for the conduct of monitoring activities and the adoption of adaptive policies during land deal processes. This paper is based on the PhD fieldwork of Maria Lisa Alano (in northern Luzon) and Mohamad Shohibuddin (in Aceh), carried out in 2012-13. The authors are members of a research project on (trans)national land investments in Indonesia and the Philippines, funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) WOTRO Science for Global Development programme.

Smallholder bargaining power in large-scale land deals: a relational perspective

“…Finally, the fluidity of the power relations in question calls for a processual approach (cf. Shohibuddin, Alano, and Nooteboom 2015). All cases discussed above show that 18 In particular, cases of land grabbing by locals who sought to profit from the bioethanol investment by leasing the land to the company.…”

Smallholder bargaining power in large-scale land deals: a relational perspective

“…Shohibuddin, Alano, and Nooteboom 2015). All cases discussed above show that 18 In particular, cases of land grabbing by locals who sought to profit from the bioethanol investment by leasing the land to the company.…”