Transnational Land Deals and Gender Equality: Utilitarian and Human Rights Approaches

Abstract

Transnational land deals pose vexing normative (ethical) questions, not least concerning gendered participation and outcomes. This article explores utilitarian and human rights approaches to gender equality in selected policy initiatives on the land deals. While global policy literature manifests growing attention to women in agriculture, the review found the analysis of gender in early policy initiatives to be absent or weak. Utilitarian arguments were used to justify deals but rarely presented women's participation as a means of social progress or so-called smart economics. Human rights documents were more likely to be critical of the deals and to mention gender, though with little elaboration. While to some extent amended by the emphasis on gender equality in the 2012 Voluntary Guidelines on tenure governance, failures to mobilize the feminist potential in utilitarian and human rights approaches call for more proactive gender analysis and advocacy when addressing transnational land deals as gendered power struggles.

Land grabbing: A gendered understanding of perceptions and reactions from affected communities in Nguti Subdivision of South West Cameroon

“…This is a longstanding governance issue in Cameroon. The irony is that a major difficulty in attaining gender equity in land deals stems from the fact that those who suffer the most from discrimination have the least power to defend themselves—women in this case (Wisborg, ). Thus, in addition to instituting new laws, women need to be empowered through capacity‐building initiatives to help defend themselves and their right to have access to land.…”

“…Monitoring and enforcement of such policies constitute a major challenge, especially in a context where legal and customary institutions are weak or non‐existent. There is a need for broad alliances among women's groups, researchers, activists, human rights advocates and others concerned with the welfare of local communities (Millar, ; Wisborg, ). FPE highlights the major elements of a change in the “rules of the game” regarding land access.…”

“…Although there are ongoing international and national discussions on the need to guarantee women and men equal access to and control of land (IIED, 2015b;Wisborg, 2014), rural women's voices are rarely heard in Cameroon (Fombe, Sama-Lang, Fonjong, & Mbah-Fongkimeh, 2013;Fonjong et al, 2016). A few recent studies examine land grabbing (Feintrenie et al, 2014;Fonjong et al, 2015;Ndi, 2017;Ndi & Batterbury, 2017).…”

Reconsidering the Right to Own Property

“…Cash-crop agriculture encouraged men to take over land from women in order to produce for a profit (Howard 1986: 190). Women are also disadvantaged in the current practice of transnational land deals ("land grabs") that fail to take account of the interests of those losing the land before it is sold to outsiders (Wisborg 2011). In Uganda in 2011, women lost their banana trees and cassava plants when 22,500 people were evicted to make way for a British timber company (Celsias 2011).…”

Land grabbing in Mexico: extent, scale, purpose and novelty

“…When compensation exists, jobs and lump sum cash payments are mostly directed to men, while environmental impacts (i.e. increased difficulties to access water, fuel, edible plants and common property), which are usually overlooked or downplayed, affect women the most Mutopo, 2012;Behrman et al, 2012;Ossome, 2014;Wisborg, 2014;Fonjong et al, 2016).…”