Was the civil war in Sierra Leone (1991-2002) fought for diamonds, or was it a peasant insurgency motivated by agrarian grievances? The evidence on both sides is less than conclusive. Ibis article scrutinizes the peasant insurgency argument via a more rigorous methodology. Hypotheses concerning intra-peasant tensions over marriage and farm labour are derived from an examination of the anthropological literature.

This publication is focused on oil palm expansion and land tenure in several Southeast Asian palm oil producing countries (the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia) and cross-compares their experiences with the facts and myths, stories and lessons learned from other palm oil producing countries, more specifically, Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.

This paper assesses the extent to which customary governance in Sierra Leone can be held responsible for an increasingly unstable two‐class agrarian society. A case is made for regarding the civil war (1991–2002) as being an eruption of long‐term, entrenched agrarian tensions exacerbated by chiefly rule. Evidence is presented to suggest that the main rebel movement embodied in its plans to reorganize agricultural production some grasp of these longer‐term agrarian problems. Postwar attempts to implement co‐operative farming and mining are then described.

Cuốn sách hướng dẫn này cung cấp nền tảng cơ sở cho việc phát triển hướng dẫn quốc gia cụ thể về Đồng thuận dựa trên nguyên tắc Tự nguyện, Trước và được Thông tin đầy đủ trong REDD+.

This book examines how the liberal peace experiment of the post-Cold War environment has failed to connect with its target populations, which have instead set about transforming it according to their own local requirements.

This Quick Guide to Land and Conflict Prevention presents approaches and alternatives for addressing tensions over land, resources and property which left unaddressed may lead to violent conflict. Historical grievances and competing claims to access rights, tenure insecurity and unequal distribution of land are common causes of such tension. Current trends in population growth, climate change, environmental degradation, resettlement, and land use patterns, including large scale acquisitions, create a very real and rapidly growing potential for conflict.

As negotiations on the shape of REDD+ continue at national and global levels, REDD-Net’s network of civil society organizations has identified the issue of trust as a high priority for further examination. In this issue RECOFTC explores the importance of trust in REDD+, why the success of REDD+ depends on trust, and how trust may need to come with its own set of warnings.

Violent conflict affects three quarters of Asia’s forests and tens of millions of people. In Cambodia, for example, nearly half of the 236 land conflicts recorded in 2009 escalated to violence. Because forest conflict is such a major issue in the region, we need a better understanding of the underlying causes, impacts, and management solutions. This issues paper sheds light on these topics, drawing lessons from eight new case studies.

This article is interested in the interface between internationally supported peace operations and local approaches to peace that may draw on traditional, indigenous and customary practice. It argues that peace (and security, development and reconstruction) in societies emerging from violent conflict tends to be a hybrid between the external and the local. The article conceptualizes how this hybrid or composite peace is constructed and maintained. It proposes a four-part conceptual model to help visualize the interplay that leads to hybridized forms of peace.

RECOFTC's regional conflict study examines the drivers and impacts of forest conflict in eight cases in six countries. Findings were presented at the Collective Action, Property Rights and Conflict in Natural Resource Management research workshop in Siem Reap from 28 June - 1July 2010.

This brief summarizes the findings of a full issues paper.