This is the second volume of a series on current processes of land tenure change in Latin America. It aims at clarifying the relationship between land and sustainable livelihood in various countries: Mexico, Nicaragua, Chile, Bolivia and Peru. The first volume "Current land policy in Latin America" describes the shift away from the redistributive policies. This volume analyzes in detail the implications of changing land tenure regimes for land use (agricultural production, environmental sustainability) and the income generating capacity of farmers (is greater access to land still a way out of poverty?). Also the consequences for the non-material aspects of life (e.g., prestige, identity, social relations, etc.) are included. By focusing on the goals and priorities of rural households, rather than on policy goals, an attempt is made to provide an insider's view of rural life. Irrespective of whether policy makers aim at liberalizing land markets or other goals, farmers respond in their own way to the changing situation. Land is a necessary element of life, even in those cases where it no longer plays a crucial role in terms of income generation. Given the current changes in rural life (farmers are having to cope with multifunctional, and often transnational, spaces, as well as neo-liberal production environments and neo-liberal land policy), it is time to make a conceptual update of the land issue. This volume will inspire policy makers to formulate a new land policy, one that does greater justice to the diversity and dynamics of rural life, and make them more aware of the multifunctionality of land and livelihood.

This book of selected research papers, originally presented at the "Symposium of Fragile Lands of Latin America—The Search for Sustainable Uses," presents some fresh evidence of the viability of a few "non-conventional" strategies for natural resource development and management.

Co-published by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

"A remarkable collection. The chapters provide extremely useful information on a range of social movements generally not well covered in academic work--and the coverage is provided by people who are either activists within the movements themselves or long-time supporters."--Wendy Wolford, University of North Carolina "An original, unique, and excellent collection. The book has great theoretical value and political relevance."--Saturnino M. Borras Jr., Saint Mary's University (Halifax) All across Latin America, rural peoples are organizing in support of broadly distinct but interrelated issues. Food sovereignty, agrarian reform, indigenous and women’s rights, sustainable development, fair trade, and immigration issues are the focus of a large number of social movements found in countries such as Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Brazil, and Peru. The contributors to Rural Social Movements in Latin America include academic researchers as well as social movement leaders who are seeking to effect change in their countries and communities. As a group they are at the forefront of some of the most critical environmental, social, and political issues of the day. This volume highlights the central role these movements play in opposition to the neoliberal model of development and offers fresh insights on emerging alternatives at the local, national, and hemispheric level. It also illustrates and analyzes the similarities--notably the struggle for sustainable livelihoods--as well as the difference among these various peasant, indigenous, and rural women's movements.

Many of the contributing social scientists are Latin American, and their ideas are presented in English for the first time here. They combine the two paradigms of sustainable development and globalization to explore how the latter impacts prospects for the former, and consider how best to build partnerships between the state and other agencies of civil society at the national, subnational, and local levels. Among the topics are lessons from the European experience of privatization and neoliberalism, regionalism and globalism as alternative models for Latin American integration, the consequences of privatization in Chile, and case studies of three regions in Brazil. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

During Latin America’s China-led commodity boom, governments turned a blind eye to the inherent flaws in the region’s economic policy. Now that the commodity boom is coming to an end, those flaws cannot be ignored. High on the list of shortcomings is the fact that Latin American governments—and Chinese investors—largely fell short of mitigating the social and environmental impacts of commodity-led growth. The recent commodity boom exacerbated pressure on the region’s waterways and forests, accentuating threats to human health, biodiversity, global climate change and local livelihoods. China and Sustainable Development in Latin America documents the social and environmental impact of the China-led commodity boom in the region. It also highlights important areas of innovation, like Chile’s solar energy sector, in which governments, communities and investors worked together to harness the commodity boom for the benefit of the people and the planet.