The impacts of land markets, access and deforestation on women’s livelihoods in the Colombian Amazon

I am interested in understanding the linkages between land markets, loss of forests and how people are able to decide how land will be used. I will measure land prices and land ownership in the past twenty years in one department of the Colombian Amazon that has experienced violence and conflict throughout the past 50 years. I will also hold workshops and interviews to understand how laws are upheld and perceived at the local level, as well as how people are using their land. I want to understand how the conflict in this region has affected women. Conflict has caused many women to leave their homes to escape the violence. The conflict also controlled how land was used, and many land owners were forced to plant certain crops. Furthermore, historically women have not been able to decide how land is used. I am interested in understanding more about these complicated dynamics and how forests and livelihoods of women can be improved.

Faculty Supervisor:

Terry Sunderland

Student:

Partner:

CIAT | The International Center for Tropical Agriculture

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: