Boletín – Agosto 2025 LAFP-LM
4 septiembre, 2025
August 2025
Contenidos
Land Matrix LAC at the Global Land Forum 2025: Open Data for Fairer Governance
Strengthening Academic Ties: Land Matrix at the Federal University of Ceará
Presentation of the Deal Narrative and Debate on the Land Tenure Regularization Law
Presentation of the Results and Challenges of the Land Matrix Initiative
LATIN AMERICA REGIONAL FOCAL POINT
Cnel. Miguel Di Pascuo 2936, Bo. Grand Bourg (4400) – Salta, Argentina
www.fundapaz.org.ar
Contact
Land Matrix LAC at the Global Land Forum 2025: Open Data for Fairer Governance
From June 14 to 19, the Global Land Forum 2025 took place in Bogotá, Colombia, in a context marked by deep inequalities in land access and ongoing conflicts over the use, control, and management of natural resources.
In this setting, the participation of Natalia Espinosa, professor and researcher at Javeriana University and collaborator of the Land Matrix Initiative, was key to highlighting the importance of open, reliable, and accessible data as fundamental tools to strengthen transparency, accountability, and the defense of the rights of rural communities affected by large-scale land acquisitions for agribusiness and extractive projects.
The discussions emphasized that land concentration and large-scale land transactions remain largely invisible phenomena in many contexts due to the limited availability of systematic and disaggregated information. In Colombia, where land-related conflicts persist despite regulatory advances, this agenda is especially relevant for monitoring agribusiness dynamics, foreign investments, and land restitution processes.
The experience shared by Land Matrix underscored the need for collaborative platforms that bring together researchers, civil society organizations, and institutional actors in the production and analysis of data on land governance. Beyond a purely technical approach, it was stressed that information systems must respond to community needs, recognize the diversity of land rights and territories, and help make visible the tensions between development, conservation, and territorial justice.
The Forum thus stood out as a strategic space to articulate knowledge, strengthen networks, and move toward more just and democratic systems of land governance.
Strengthening Academic Ties: Land Matrix at the Federal University of Ceará
On July 22, Carlos Ortega, member of the Latin America Focal Point of the Land Matrix Initiative, gave a lecture entitled “Land Matrix: New Pressures on Land in the Context of Climate Change.” The event took place as part of a research stay at the Laboratory of Geoprocessing and Social Cartography of the Federal University of Ceará, Brazil.
During the presentation, Carlos outlined the objectives and functioning of the Land Matrix Initiative and described the work carried out by the regional Focal Point, with emphasis on two specific deals located in the state of Ceará (ID: 11394 and 8567). This collaboration with the University of Ceará provides an opportunity to directly examine land acquisition mechanisms related to wind power projects in the region, while also strengthening the dissemination of the initiative’s work in academic spaces.
Presentation of the Deal Narrative and Debate on the Land Tenure Regularization Law
On August 27, 2025, the Focal Point took part in a meeting organized by ACUNT (Criollos Unidos por Nuestra Tierra) and INTA at the San Cayetano household in Salta Forestal, Salta Province. The event brought together local small-scale producers from several nearby households.
Discussions focused on three main points: the results of an INTA project to improve cattle management, the recent enactment of the Provincial Land Tenure Regularization Law for Small-Scale Producers (Law No. 8500), and the presentation of the Focal Point’s Deal Narrative on the history and socio-environmental impacts of two major land transactions (cases #1060 and #4130).
Copies of the Deal Narrative were distributed among producers, who emphasized the importance of documenting and sharing their families’ histories within the ongoing tenure regularization process. The meeting also included a review of the new law’s articles and a preliminary participatory mapping exercise to identify current land use in the area.
Presentation of the Results and Challenges of the Land Matrix Initiative
On August 27, during the institutional meeting of FUNDAPAZ held in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, a presentation was given on the Land Matrix Initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean. The presentation began with a conceptual overview of Land Matrix, covering its governance, network of collaborators, database, reports, narratives, and research.
The discussion then focused on the current state of the database, including the number of deals recorded, their distribution by country, thematic classification, and specific distribution in Latin America.
Finally, concrete case studies from the work of the Regional Focal Point were presented. The case of Salta Forestal was briefly reviewed, followed by a more in-depth presentation on Reservas Campesinas (Peasant Reserves), exploring the narratives associated with these cases. The session concluded with a discussion on how to use the database and specific cases to promote the initiative, its political application, and its future projection.
Contribute to the database on land transactions!
This is an invitation to organizations working on land issues, academic institutions, researchers, grassroots organizations, government offices, and committed individuals, who are interested in sharing any kind of information on large land acquisitions in Latin America.
If you want to contribute with this initiative, you can file a report on a large-scale land acquisition by filling in a form available here.
Documents and reports produced by the Latin America Focal Point, including an update of large-scale land acquisitions in the region, available here.
Latin America Regional Focal Point:
Fundapaz – INENCO
Partner network members:
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Colombia), DATALUTA (Brazil) and OUOT (Honduras)
