Reclaiming the Sovereignty of the Small Producer on Land: A Possible Political Agenda
Abstract
This article was the Keynote Address to the International Conference on Land, Life and Society organized by the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University Western Cape, in Cape Town on October 7–9, 2025. Based on the notion of “accumulation by extraction,” the article surveys three waves of land grabs since the colonial period in Africa, including the current one under neoliberalism. This, in particular, has been driven by agribusiness, in alliance with a local bureaucratic bourgeoisie, and has even introduced new methods of land alienation via carbon offset agreements. The author proposes, as an intellectual project, five major paradigmatic shifts to underpin a new politics of resistance and development today.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Agriculture
Land Use
Rural Development
Land Rights and Reforms
African studies and sociopolitical issues
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Agrarian South Journal of Political Economy A triannual Journal of Agrarian South Network and CARES
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 60–70
- Publication date
- 29 January 2026
- Language
- EN