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Financing the agrarian transition? The Clean Development Mechanism and agricultural change in Latin America

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  • Hannah Wittman
  • Lisa Jordan Powell
  • Esteve Corbera

Abstract

The food crisis of 2007–08 generated widespread global concerns about land consolidation and agricultural transition, with renewed attention on foreign land investments and growing global markets for meat and biofuels. As part of and alongside this process, agriculture and land-use projects registered in the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) continued to rise, representing almost a third of global projects and almost 50% of projects in Latin America. In this paper we conduct an analysis of the sustainable development claims of Latin American CDM projects, focusing particularly on their implications for land consolidation, regional food security, and agrarian justice. Our analysis suggests that in Latin America those benefiting most from the development and sale of carbon-offset projects have, to date, been large-scale corporations investing in industrial carbon projects such as large tree plantations, sugarcane, and large-scale, export-oriented livestock production. As such, we argue that the carbonization of agriculture through the CDM serves as a driver of ‘global green grabbing’ and that the scope and financialization of CDM projects in the agriculture and forestry sectors in Latin America may contribute to the maintenance of an agrarian system of ‘climate injustice’ rather than foster sustainable development across the region.

Suggested Citation

  • Hannah Wittman & Lisa Jordan Powell & Esteve Corbera, 2015. "Financing the agrarian transition? The Clean Development Mechanism and agricultural change in Latin America," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 47(10), pages 2031-2046, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:47:y:2015:i:10:p:2031-2046
    DOI: 10.1068/a130218p
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tschakert, Petra & Coomes, Oliver T. & Potvin, Catherine, 2007. "Indigenous livelihoods, slash-and-burn agriculture, and carbon stocks in Eastern Panama," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(4), pages 807-820, February.
    2. Emma Paulsson, 2009. "A review of the CDM literature: from fine-tuning to critical scrutiny?," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 63-80, February.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Schröter, Barbara & Hauck, Jennifer & Hackenberg, Isabel & Matzdorf, Bettina, 2018. "Bringing transparency into the process: Social network analysis as a tool to support the participatory design and implementation process of Payments for Ecosystem Services," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 34(PB), pages 206-217.
    3. Chu, Long & Quentin Grafton, R. & Keenan, Rodney, 2019. "Increasing Conservation Efficiency While Maintaining Distributive Goals With the Payment for Environmental Services," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 202-210.

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