Strategic spatial planning in emerging land-use frontiers: evidence from Mozambique

Strategic spatial planning in emerging land-use frontiers: evidence from Mozambique

Blog Article

Land-use frontiers are territories with abundant land for agriculture and forestry, availability of natural resources relative to labor or capital and predisposed to rapid land-use change, often driven by large-scale land investments and capitalized actors, producing Glass Markers commodities for distal markets.Strategic spatial planning (SSP) represents a consolidated long-term governance practice across high- and low-income countries.One of the objectives of SSP processes is to articulate a more coherent and future-oriented spatial logic for the sustainability of land-use patterns and typologies, natural-resources protection, and investments.

SSP may thus constitute a useful approach in addressing some of the challenges affecting land governance in frontier settings; to date, its potential contribution to land-use frontiers lacks explicit exploration.In this paper, we examine how SSP can play a role in governing land-use frontiers through a case-study analysis of Mozambique as an emerging frontier, located on the southeast coast of Africa.We gathered Generation 2 empirical evidence by interviewing experts involved in resource management, territorial planning, and development in the country.

The theoretical spine of the paper builds on the literature focusing on land-use challenges and SSP.We show that emerging land-use frontiers face several challenges, such as transnational land deals and the intensification of commercial plantations.Interview data show that several structural factors are hindering the establishment of a long-term territorial development strategy.

These are, among others, the short-termism of political cycles and the absence of a long-term strategic vision.Our analysis reveals that SSP processes could contribute to addressing land-use challenges in frontier contexts, such as poverty traps and land degradation spirals, should various local and distant actors join forces and marry interests.We conclude by presenting a systematic rationale, explaining how SSP could play a role in governing land-use frontiers, with a view to promoting the well-being and sustainability of rural communities.