Land grabbing, CSR, and the (de)mobilization of resistance

Abstract

As large-scale agricultural investment has been rising, scholars have much investigated the factors that shape contestations against land grabbing. This literature, however, has hardly focused on the role of investing agricultural companies and their corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices so far. Vice versa, there is extensive research on the CSR-contention nexus for mining and other sectors, albeit with contested findings. To contribute to these debates, I apply the opportunities and threats framework from social movement studies to examine how CSR affects local and transnational contention. This is studied in the comparison of two major European agricultural companies that operate in Cameroon (and beyond). The analysis shows a demobilizing effect of timely and substantial CSR practices.