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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

🌱 How can academia support civil society organisations achieve land justice? We joined our civil society partners at a workshop on equitable access to land, where they strategised on what they would like "equitable", "access", and "land" to encompass. We'll share more of the outcomes soon! ✊🏾

A group photo of participants at South Africa's civil society workshop on equitable access to land.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

🇰🇪🇹🇿 We're looking for PhD candidates to apply for two "Digital Agrarian Futures" scholarships with @crctrr228.bsky.social. If you have the right doctoral topic & can conduct long-term ethnographic research, we want to hear from you. Read more and apply here: shorturl.at/1prwm @uwconline.bsky.social

plaas.org.za

Apply: PhD scholarships: Digital Agrarian Futures project | Plaas

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

📢 New seminar! Dr Hamza Hamouchene challenges the deceptive narrative that masks ongoing global relations of neo-colonial domination in Africa just transition. Join us! Mon, 14 Sept 2026 13:00 to 14:00 SAST Register on zoom: shorturl.at/vgeoD Abstract: shorturl.at/RGY8J @tninstitute.bsky.social

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Join us for a seminar with Prof. Clemens Greiner from the Univ. of Cologne to explore a case study on geothermal energy and the clean energy dilemma in Kenya. 📅 27 Aug 2026 🕐 13:00 SAST 📍 Jakes Gerwel Hall, UWC / 💻 Zoom Register: uwc.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Congratulations to PLAAS PhD graduate Charity Rusere on her new role as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the BIOSSCI at the Institute for Economic Justice. 🎉 Dr Rusere will bring her research expertise in agrarian change and rural livelihoods to this project.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

plaas.org.za

Apply: PhD scholarships: Digital Agrarian Futures project | Plaas

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

📢 BIODIVERSITY & CONSERVATION PROFESSIONALS! Apply for our fully funded Living Landscapes: New Thinking on Integrating Biodiversity and Social Justice short course, designed to bring racial and gender justice into conservation. 🗓️ 26-30 October 2026 📍Cape Town, SA plaas.org.za/call-for-app...

plaas.org.za

Call for applications 2026: New Thinking on Integrating Biodiversity and Social Justice short course | Plaas

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

“I don’t want to be seated in heaven seeing my grandchildren without land.” 🎥 Watch this new documentary, based on research 25 years after Zimbabwe's controversial land reform programme www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldiT...

youtube.com

TRAVEL FILM:25 years after land reform in Zimbabwe

YouTube video by ZimLandReform

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

📢 Applications are now open for our 2027 Postgraduate Diploma in Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, the only accredited programme of its kind in South Africa. Learn more and apply: plaas.org.za/postgraduate...

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Equitable access to land and spatial justice: The South African Constitutional Court's progressive judgment on Cape Town's Tafelberg property is big news! We congratulate Ndifuna Ukwazi and Reclaim the City for their long struggle to have these rights recognised. shorturl.at/PUEHi #academicsky

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STATEMENT: What the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the Tafelberg property means for equitable access to land and spatial justice | Plaas

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

We stand with all African citizens, the poor, and working-class people struggling peacefully for livelihoods and a dignified life in South Africa. ✊🏾

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

The fight for justice and dignity is a universal one, internationalism and African solidarity must remain a core principle we defend as a foundation of our democracy. We commend members of the public who have stood up to and rejected Afrophobic responses to legitimate governance issues.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

The histories of conquest, dispossession, colonialism, and neoliberalism have shaped our realities, conflicts, and the many drivers of human mobility across the continent.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

By remaining unaccountable for these failures, political, public, and corporate leadership have allowed vigilante groups to threaten our democracy. As a community dedicated to the struggle for social justice, land rights, and livelihoods, we understand that this is a regional and universal struggle.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

We understand this anger all too well. For over three decades, PLAAS’s research has underscored the severity of poverty, landlessness, and failed policies that poor and working-class people have been forced to live with.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

and laid them at the door of some of the most vulnerable people in our society: African migrants. Fearful movements use Afrophobia to misdirect people’s anger with failed systems and scapegoat migrants for deep-seated socioeconomic crises.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Much has been said and written about how and why some groups using hate-filled language have manipulated legitimate grievances by working-class South Africans – chronic joblessness, failed service delivery, crime and gangsterism, homelessness and landlessness, corruption, and economic stagnation –

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Some members of the public have drawn clear markings of distinction between race and class. Desperate South Africans are intimidating countless thousands, even millions, of people escaping injustice where they were born, forcing them to run for their lives.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

A unilateral ultimatum has been issued by vigilante groups for migrants to leave South Africa, with protestors charging on migrants with illegal threats to loot their shops, assaults, vigilantism, and other forms of unlawful behaviour.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Our institute remains a safe space for all who work and study here, regardless of nationality.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Afrophobic and xenophobic threats, intimidation, violence, and inhumane behaviour towards African migrants is in profound contradiction to the values we hold at PLAAS. PLAAS rejects all forms of hatred towards people.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

The rise of vigilantism, hate-speech, violence, human rights violations, terror, and other unlawful behaviour in South Africa against African citizens is a shameful blight on the leadership of our country and society.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

PLAAS STANDS IN SOLIDARITY WITH AFRICAN CITIZENS Through 30 years of our work, PLAAS has learnt that African citizens want the same thing: a safe piece of land with their families to call home, and no one is threatening to take it away from them. plaas.org.za/plaas-stands...

plaas.org.za

PLAAS stands in solidarity with African citizens | Plaas

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

PLAAS postdoctoral fellow Boaventura Monjane argues that rural and urban struggles are deeply interconnected. Drawing on case studies of popular resistance ✊🏾, he shows how building solidarity across these spaces can challenge inequality. Read here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com

Bridging divides against erratic democratic trajectories: the politics of rural and urban social movements in Southern Africa

This article examines the complex relationship between social and popular movements in Southern Africa across sectors and geographies amid erratic democracy. It analyzes how these sectorial and geo...

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

🌊 New research by PLAAS Professors Mafa Hara and Moenieba Isaacs, alongside fellow researchers, used 10 years of data from 34 African countries to map more than 1,000 conflicts involving small-scale fishers. Nearly 75% were linked to access to resources. Read: theconversation.com/disputes-ove...

theconversation.com

Disputes over Africa’s ocean resources: here’s what could help avoid them

As ocean uses expand, it will be necessary to reduce disputes because they disrupt the environmental sustainability and equity central to a blue economy.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

We're on in 30 minutes! Register here for the zoom link if you aren't joining us in person: shorturl.at/Orysm

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Reposted by Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies

Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

"Theorising back": join us & Dr Mfundo Mlilo from @unicologne.bsky.social for his seminar, Decolonising tourism development at Victoria Falls. 🗓️ Wed, 3 June 2026 🕐 13:00 – 14:00 SAST 📍 PLAAS seminar room, 2nd Floor, Jakes Gerwel Hall, @uwconline.bsky.social & zoom 📝 Register: shorturl.at/anIQZ

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Seminar: Decolonising tourism development at Victoria Falls: a new evolutionary economic geography perspective with Dr Mfundo Mlilo | Plaas

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

What can South Africa learn from Colombia’s land reform? PLAAS researcher Nkanyiso Gumede shares four key insights that can aid South Africa’s #Landreform process, if backed by political will and investment. Read more in this article with Food for Mzansi. www.foodformzansi.co.za/four-lessons...

foodformzansi.co.za

Four lessons from Colombia to fix South Africa’s land reform

As global land concentration rises, South Africa’s reform programme faces mounting pressure to deliver. Plaas researcher Nkanyiso Gumede breaks down

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

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Seminar: Decolonising tourism development at Victoria Falls: a new evolutionary economic geography perspective with Dr Mfundo Mlilo | Plaas

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Happy Africa Day! 🌍 Join us today at 🕐 13:00–14:00 SAST as we unpack the first-ever global Status of Land Tenure and Governance Report with experts Ward Anseeuw, Dr Stha Yeni & Dr Joan Kagwanja. 📍 Online via Zoom OR In-person: PLAAS Seminar Room Register here: uwc.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Why does policy progress on #landtenure still fail to deliver change for the marginalised? Join us to discuss on Monday, 25 May 2026 🕐 13:00–14:00 SAST 📍 PLAAS Seminar Room, 2nd Floor, Jakes Gerwel Hall (Main Hall), UWC Register: uwc.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Can solidarity from history be reimagined for the present geopolitical moment? Join us for our colloquium on Solidarity then & Now, with a panel of experts from Africa & Norway at @uwconline.bsky.social. Bring your toughest questions, & join us for a light lunch. RSVP is necessary: shorturl.at/GS29M

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

❗ LIVE Indigenous Peoples and holders of customary tenure rights occupy 5.5 billion ha (42%) of the world’s land; yet only 1 billion ha (8% of global land) are documented with ownership rights. Watch the Status of Land Tenure & Governance report launch here: shorturl.at/kPSKl #ICARRD20 @fao.org

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Status of Land Tenure and Governance (SLTG) | Governance of Tenure | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

🦶🏾Land tenure is about belonging, identity, cultural values and meanings, grounded in distinct ways of knowing. Yet implementing policies on land tenure and governance lags. 💻 Stream: Status of Land Tenure and Governance report launch: shorturl.at/kPSKl @fao.org @uwconline.bsky.social #ICARRD20

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

The 2nd Int'l Academic Conference Land, Life & Society at University of Cartagena, Colombia, starts with the Cape Town Declaration, written at the 1st Int'l Academic Conference: Land, Life & Society at @uwconline.bsky.social in 2025. 📃ENG, SPA, FRA & POR: shorturl.at/zoFP2 #ICARRD20

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Reposted by Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies

Ruth Hall @ruthhallplaas.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Watch this space: digital agriculture technologies in Africa, accompanied by AI infrastructure, are moving fast across the continent. Who will get the land and water they require, who will own the data, and who will benefit? The next big shift in the poltics of land in Africa is upon us.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

We're heading to the second International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development with @uwconline.bsky.social. The International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty's position paper is exciting! It has 5 proposals and demands - shorturl.at/oims4 #ICARRD20 #AcademicSky

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IPC releases its position paper on agrarian reform for ICARRD+20

The IPC urges governments to move beyond voluntary commitments and adopt binding, measurable actions to ensure redistributive agrarian reform

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

7 things to understand about how extraction is affecting African people's land usage, and what drives them: new PLAAS blog by Dr Phillan Zamchiya. #ICARRD20 plaas.org.za/globalised-e...

plaas.org.za

Globalised extractive territorialisation and changing land uses in Africa | Plaas

Author PLAAS View all posts

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

📢 Putting land redistribution back on the agenda: As we head to #ICARRD+20, Prof @ianscoones.bsky.social reflects on experiences from very different settings to inform future policies. 🗓️ Wednesday, 11 February 2026 🕐 13:00-14:00 CAT 📍 At PLAAS or online shorturl.at/rDJ1N @uwconline.bsky.social

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

👩🏾‍🎓 Welcome to 2026! Our renowned Postgraduate Diploma in Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies at @uwconline.bsky.social is open for applications. 🗓️ Deadline: 31 January 2026 1️⃣ First semester: 23 February to 13 March 2026 2️⃣ Second semester: 20 July to 7 August 2026 Apply: shorturl.at/Z8p1V #AcademicSky

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Call for 2026 applications: Postgraduate Diploma in Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies | Plaas

Author PLAAS View all posts

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

📰 In a new @africa.theconversation.com post, a recent journal article citing PLAAS research shows how land reform in South Africa can expand people's economic opportunities outside of farming and into the wildlife economy: shorturl.at/EXgQO Read the journal article: shorturl.at/Zn1CI #AcademicSky

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Land reform in South Africa: how new landholders could prosper from wildlife and not just farming

South Africa needs to track whether beneficiaries of land reform policies are participating in the country’s thriving wildlife economy.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

❗ Last chance to apply: If you're a Professor or Associate Professor looking to lead knowledge in poverty, land, and agrarian studies sectors, PLAAS is looking for you.

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

📢 APPLICATIONS CLOSE ON 9 JANUARY 2026 Are you our next Professor? We're looking for a Professor or Associate Professor to join PLAAS at @uwconline.bsky.social! Here's what we're looking for, what you'll do, and where to apply: shorturl.at/5kzkq

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

We asked 5 participants from our special Journal of Peasant Studies-PLAAS Africa Writeshop to show us what they're learning about journal publishing during their week with us. What do they want? Community! 🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏾 Watch the intro below, and follow their journeys here: shorturl.at/ZNjDm

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Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

📽️ The slow methodology: our researchers in our Living Landscapes in Action project gather vast empirical data in the areas they work. This film shows how they do it and why it's important for our work on social and spatial justice in conservation and biodiversity. RSVP: forms.gle/8PfzsHrujMRb...

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Reposted by Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies

Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies @plaasuwc.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

🌱 Protecting nature from what, and for whom? Join us on Wednesday for this beautiful film and important discussion about social and spatial justice in conservation and biodiversity. Screening starts at 17:30 (but come and eat with us at 16:30).

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