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Land Grabbing in Latin America: Another Natural Resource Curse?

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  • Agostina Costantino

    (Agostina Costantino is a PhD candidate at Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, FLACSO, México, Federal District. Email: agostina.costantino@flacso.edu.mx)

Abstract

In recent years, land grabbing has become widespread in Latin America, following similar trends in Africa. Multilateral agencies have sought to explain this phenomenon by arguing that these investments in land are driven by the rich endowments of natural resources of the countries in the region. This article argues that this explanation is insufficient: the rich endowment of natural resources in Latin America cannot explain the rising transfer of land to foreign investors, as if it were a natural curse. By contrast, the deepening of development models based almost exclusively on the exploitation of these resources seems to be the key, such that the role of states becomes essential to the explanation. In fact, the emergence of many self-proclaimed ‘progressive’ or ‘left’ governments in the region has not reversed the established structural dependency, based on an extractivist development model, but has deepened it.

Suggested Citation

  • Agostina Costantino, 2014. "Land Grabbing in Latin America: Another Natural Resource Curse?," Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy, Centre for Agrarian Research and Education for South, vol. 3(1), pages 17-43, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:agspub:v:3:y:2014:i:1:p:17-43
    DOI: 10.1177/2277976014530217
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    References listed on IDEAS

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