The right of access to agricultural land? Comments on human rights and land grabbing
Journal cover Przegląd Prawa Rolnego, no. 2(37), year 2025
PDF

Keywords

land grabbing
right to access agricultural land
right to food
collective rights
indigenous peoples
VGGT
UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants
FPIC (free, prior, and informed consent)

How to Cite

Pastuszko, R. (2025). The right of access to agricultural land? Comments on human rights and land grabbing. Przegląd Prawa Rolnego, (2(37), 35–51. https://doi.org/10.14746/ppr.2025.37.2.2

Abstract

This article aims to establish a theoretical framework for the concept of the right of access to agricultural land (agricultural land resources) as a mechanism for safeguarding human rights in the context of land acquisitions. According to contemporary soft law instruments, the right of access to agricultural land may be recognised as an autonomous concept. This concept is characterised by a specific dualism, encompassing both the individual and collective dimensions. The article analyses the mechanisms of human rights violations resulting from large-scale land acquisitions, paying particular attention to the right to food, property rights, and the collective rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. The right of access to agricultural land is a broader concept than the classic right of ownership. It encompasses various forms of land tenure, including customary and informal ones, and requires the application of different protection mechanisms for the individual and collective dimensions.

https://doi.org/10.14746/ppr.2025.37.2.2
PDF

References

Anaya S.J., Williams R.A. (2001), The Protection of Indigenous Peoples’ Rights over Lands and Natural Resources Under the Inter-American Human Rights System, “Harvard Human Rights Journal” vol. 14.

Alabrese M., Bessa A., Brunori M., Giuggioli P.F. (eds.) (2022), The United Nations’ Declaration on Peasants’ Rights, Abingdon. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003139874

Borras S. Jr., Franco J. (2012), Global Land Grabbing and Trajectories of Agrarian Change: A Preliminary Analysis, “Journal of Agrarian Change” vol. 12, no. 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0366.2011.00339.x

Claeys M., Delforge P. (2012), The Creation of New Rights by the Food Sovereignty Movement: The Challenge of Institutionalizing Subversion, “Sociology” no. 46.

Claeys P., Edelman M. (2020), The United Nations Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas, “The Journal of Peasant Studies” vol. 47, no. 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2019.1672665

Cotula L. (2007), Changes in “Customary” Land Tenure Systems in Africa, Rome.

De Schutter O. (2011), The Green Rush: The Global Race for Farmland and the Rights of Land Users, “Harvard International Law Journal” vol. 52, no. 2.

De Schutter O. (2014), International Human Rights Law, Cambridge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107479913

Deininger K., Byerlee D. (2011), Rising Global Interest in Farmland: Can It Yield Sustainable and Equitable Benefits?, Washington. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1596/978-0-8213-8591-3

Dinstein Y. (1976), Collective human rights of peoples and minorities, “International & Comparative Law Quarterly” vol. 25, no. 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/iclqaj/25.1.102

Gilbert J. (2019), Indigenous rights and ILO Convention 169: learning from the past and challenging the future, “International Journal of Human Rights” vol. 23, no. 1–2.

Golay C., Biglino I. (2013), Human Rights Responses to Land Grabbing: A Right to Food Perspective, “Third World Quarterly” vol. 34, no. 9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2013.843853

Golay C., Claeys M. (2012), The creation of new rights by the food sovereignty movement: the challenge of institutionalizing subversion, “Sociology” vol. 46, no. 5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038512451534

Lay J., Anseeuw W., Eckert S., Flachsbarth I., Kubitza C., Nolte K., Giger M. (2022), Few development benefits, many human and environmental risks. Taking stock of the global land rush. Analytical Report III, Bern – Montpellier – Hamburg – Pretoria.

Rulli M., D’Odorico P. (2013), Global land and water grabbing, “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” vol. 110, no. 3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1213163110

Seufert P. (2013), The FAO Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests, “Globalizations” vol. 10, no. 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2013.764157

Wegerif M., Coulibaly M., Ouedraogo H. (2025), Land Tenure Governance in the First Decades of the 21st Century: Progress, Challenges, and Lessons from 18 Countries, “Land” vol. 14, no. 4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040671

Wicomb W., Smith H. (2011), Customary communities as ‘peoples’ and their customary tenure as ‘culture’: What we can do with the Endorois decision, “African Human Rights Law Journal” vol. 11, no. 2.

Xanthaki A. (2007), Indigenous Rights and United Nations Standards: Self-Determination, Culture and Land, Cambridge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511494468