South America illustrates just how fragile development successes can be: poverty, hunger, social inequalities, and political polarization are once again on the rise. At the same time, global socio-economic trends like land use change – often due to land grabbing – and climate change are ratcheting up the pressure on natural habitats and indigenous communities.
However, the region is also very rich in natural resources and hotspots of biodiversity. And it boasts remarkable cultural diversity rooted in its indigenous heritage. This creates fertile ground for social and technical innovations, civil-society movements, and original approaches to sustainable development.
Research focuses
CDE research initially centred on the Andes region. In light of the relentless exploitation of resources, accompanied by massive growth of monocultures and disregard for indigenous rights in lowland areas, CDE’s research programme expanded to other regions of the continent – in particular the Amazon basin.
With an eye on regional linkages, CDE’s engagement in South America focuses on governance issues in the following areas:
- Agroecology and sustainable food systems
- Sustainable value chains
- Labour and gender issues
- Ecosystems and biodiversity
- Environmental justice
- Land rights and land use
