The Agrarian Transition in the Mekong Region: Pathways Towards Sustainable Land Systems
The Mekong Region is undergoing rapid land use changes owing to a profound agrarian transition. Much has been done in recent years to expand our understanding of this transition and therein the role of land and forest resources—their quality, distribution, the conditions of governance that shape how they are used and controlled, and how these have changed over time. The agrarian transition has been described as socially inequitable and environmentally unsustainable. Innovative pathways towards sustainable solutions are thus required. Yet, the current dominance of descriptive-analytical research provides limited tools for the formulation of sustainability pathways.
It has been five years since we launched the State of Land in the Mekong Region, the flagship publication that explored these dimensions, setting the groundwork for a programme of research and policy engagement to strengthen land governance and the rights and needs of the region’s 60 million smallholder farmers. Overcoming institutional divides has been a hallmark of this initiative—bringing together academia, civil society, government, and the private sector to tackle the most pressing challenges in the Mekong Region.
This Collection brings new science to bear on issues at the forefront of policy and practice. Following the call of transformational research, the works of this Collection were funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the German Cooperation, and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In this space, the Mekong Region Land Governance Project, the Centre for Development and Environment of the University of Bern, and our partners have played a lead role in creating actionable knowledge along three critical dimensions:
Part 1 (1 editorial article and 3 case study articles): Sustainable commodity production for rural development and poverty reduction.
Part 2 (1 editorial article and 2 case study articles): Recognition, formalisation, and protection of customary tenure.
Part 3 (1 editorial article and 3 case study articles): Co-creation of agricultural systems with positive environmental outcomes.
Empowerment of women to reduce inequality in land governance is a cross-cutting dimension in the three parts. The Collection presents case studies with promising approaches and solutions. Already, the conceptual and analytic insights of these papers have produced numerous information materials that are being deployed in discussions among decision makers in the region. This evidence informs dialogues and supports shaping outcomes as we seek, together, to negotiate a better future for the people of the Mekong.
Micah L. Ingalls, University of Bern, Switzerland and Mekong Region Land Governance, Vientiane, Lao PDR
Cornelia Hett, University of Bern, Switzerland and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Switzerland
Edited by
Albrecht Ehrensperger(Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Switzerland)
Anh-Thu Nguyen(Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Laos Office, Vientiane)
Jean-Christophe Diepart(The School for Field Studies, Siem Reap, Cambodia)
Cornelia Hett(Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Switzerland)
Sponsored by