Social Innovation in Land Initiatives as a basis for Inclusive Rural Development

Over the past years, there is an increasing concern regarding the phenomenon of ‘land-grabbing’ and its impact on the social, economic and environmental dynamics in rural areas. However, few has been said on how local grassroots initiatives react to the transformation of rural realities in the Global South. This research project aims to reveal and critically evaluate the development potential of land-related initiatives in opposition to the dominant agribusiness development model. Adopting the theoretical lense of Social Innovation (SI) in a frame of socio-institutional analysis is intended to respond to this research objective. Theory on SI provides insights on the role of social, economic and environmental aspects and institutions in promoting innovation dynamics on a given geographic area (Moulaert et al. 2005; Moulaert and Nussbaumer 2005; Baker and Mehmood 2015). Moreover, based on principles of satisfaction of human needs, changes in social relations (towards empowerment of disadvantaged groups) and increased socio-political capabilities and access to needed resources, SI (in practice) has the potential to respond to the current global pressures over land and promote ‘better’ forms of land governance (Moulaert and Van Dyck 2013; Moulaert et al. 2013; Jessop et al. 2013; Moulaert et al. 2005; González and Healey 2005). This research will contribute to connect spatial and social rural studies, by combining mapping methods of spatial (data) analysis with critical ethnography fieldwork, using the case study of Nicaragua and focusing on three sub-cases of land-related interventions. Analyzing how these initiatives are organized and institutionalized along time, allows to enrich concepts on Rural Development and Land Use Rights (LURs). Moreover, identifying and analyzing the restrictions and opportunities these practices (re)present, contributes to the elaboration and dissemination of relevant learnings, aiming to overcome the structural barriers that small-scale agriculture faces in the Global South. Doing so will eventually facilitate important and necessary societal transitions, towards an inclusive rural development model.