Biofuels and poor people’s access to land

Sonja VermeulenInternational Institute for Environment

and Development (IIED) International Land Coalition (ILC)

Better safeguards from governments –providing more than strong land tenure

More imaginative solutions from small and large businesses (with government incentives)

Why biofuels? 4 policy goals:

Not all biofuels industries will deliver all 4 goals

Opportunities:More diverse and secure livelihoodsBroader development benefits (including local energy)

Threats: Land concentration Loss of land & resources among poor

Rural developmen

t goals

Imaginative models

Opportunities

SafeguardsThreats

Safeguards

For people’s welfare

But also for people’s rights and choices

SafeguardsProtection of local food systems

Requirements for local consultation and negotiation

Mechanisms for appeal, arbitration and review

Clearer definitions of under-utilised, marginal and degraded lands

Strengthening of access to the law

Integrated setting of social standards

Imaginative models

For working with farmers and landholders

But also for greater shares in the value chain

Imaginative models

Land lease arrangements Collective land use Market-rate rental

Contract farmingPurchase agreementsOutgrower schemes

Joint equity modelsLand as equityShares in processing

…moving away from one-off compensation towards long-term benefit-sharing…

Warning:

None of these are

perfect!

Roles for government

Policy frameworks… Local services… Financial incentives… Underwriting… Standard setting… Brokerage… R&D…

www.iied.org