This book discusses the ongoing process of achieving peace in Colombia following the 2016 signing of a peace accord by the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. It focuses on the role campesinos (peasant farmers) have had in the continued process of peacebuilding, using what Lederach describes as “slow peace” to recenter grassroots practices of peace, grounded in multigenerational struggles for territorial liberation.

Previous studies have shown conflicting results on whether or not Indigenous Peoples Lands (IPL) can halt deforestation. This study set out to test whether these differing results reflect variations in land tenure.

This report from The Royal Society sets out a “multifunctional” approach to land use (with a focus on the UK) - i.e. an approach that considers how land can produce not only goods with a market value (such as food) but also a wide range of products and services that for the most part do not have a market value (e.g. biodiversity provision, carbon sequestration and flood alleviation).

The UK’s Food, Farming & Countryside Commission has published a proposed land use framework for England, following Defra’s announcement that the government will publish its own strategy in 2023. The FFCC distinguishes its proposals from the government’s current strategy in two ways: the FFCC argues that any land use framework must encompass all uses, including both rural and urban; and it argues that both top-down and bottom-up planning approaches should be used at the same time.

This report from the Landworkers' Alliance sets out how the UK government can help new farmers enter the agroecology sector. Based on a set of interviews with new entrants to the sector, it sets out current barriers to entry, including difficulties in accessing land, housing, capital, training, markets and industry connections as well as negative perceptions of farming jobs.

The UK government has published its food strategy for England (note that other regions of the UK are not within the scope, since food policy is devolved). Reactions have generally been critical, with many noting that many of the recommendations in the National Food Strategy review led by Henry Dimbleby have not been included. We have rounded up some relevant reactions and resources.

To safeguard biodiversity, 44% of the global land area needs to be covered by conservation measures such as protected areas or land use policies, finds this paper. The proportion of land that must be conserved varies by country, with high values in countries such as Canada (84%, because of its extensive intact ecosystems), and Costa Rica (86%, because it hosts many species). On average, the calculated values show that more land should be conserved in developed economies (55%) than in developing economies (30%), partly due to large ecologically intact areas of Canada and Australia. The authors stress that any conservation policies must respect the rights of people living in the affected areas.

This book outlines the history of agricultural policy in the US from its colonial roots to the present, and uses economic concepts to interpret the political and economic consequences. It also discusses shocks such as trade wars and the COVID-19 pandemic.

This research brief from the Centre for Food Policy summarises which government departments in Australia are responsible for food policy. An infographic shows the role of each of 11 departments that have a connection to food.