International Academic Conference for Land, Life & Society Call for applications

Venue: University of Cartagena

Dates: 20–22 February 2026

The Steering Committee of the Red de Académicas y Académicos por la Tierra y por la Vida (Network of Scholars for Land and Life) of Colombia, University of Cartagena ; the Rural Studies Network (Rede de Estudos Rurais) of Brazil; Collective of Agrarian Scholar-Activists in the South (CASAS); Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales (CLACSO), College of Humanities and Development Studies (COHD) of China Agricultural University in Beijing; PLAAS of the University of the Western Cape, South Africa; Agroecology Research Network (ARC), USA; Nyeleni Europe and Central Asia Food Sovereignty Network (Nyeleni ECA); Center for Peasants Rights at the University of North Sumatra, Indonesia; Transnational Institute (TNI), Land Deal Politics Initiative (LDPI), and Journal of Peasant Studies (JPS)

In partnership with: The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, the National Planning Department all of Colombia; and the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Farming (MDA) and National Institute of Colonization of Agrarian Reform (INCRA) of Brazil

Call for application to participate in the International Academic Conference for Land, Life & Society on 20-22 February 2026 at the University of Cartagena, Colombia. It will be an autonomous academic space, but at the same time will overlap with the official inter-governmental ICARRD+20 conference. For background on ICARRD+20, see: https://viacampesina.org/en/2025/05/its-official-cartagena-to-host-the-second-international-conference-on-agrarian-reform-and-rural-development-icarrd20/

The conference will co-constitute the International Conference of Researchers for Land, Life and Society, an international academic gathering. While it is principally an academic space, it will also take the format of a dialogue with social movements.

The international conference will provide simultaneous interpretation in Spanish, French and English.

We invite:

Researchers, lecturers, academics, research groups from all parts of the world working on land – in the broadest sense: agrarian, food, labour, environmental, climate, biodiversity, trade, rural-urban, geopolitical, law, citizenship, war and peace issues – and how these relate to the issue redistributive land policies (such as agrarian reform, restitution, recognition, etc..) and the care of the environment and nature.

Objectives

1. To share research findings and ongoing processes with the interested academic community.
2. To prepare recommendations from academia for the Second Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, to be held in Cartagena from 24 to 28 February 2026.
3. To foster collaboration between academia and rural social movements in order to position and strengthen public policy on democratizing land regimes through redistributive policies like agrarian reform.

Call for abstracts

We are keen on papers that look into the political economy and political ecology from critical perspectives on the politics of land in the broadest sense (that is, not just for farming). We are keen on those that link land politics to broader issues such as food politics, labour and livelihoods, migration and mobility, climate change and environmental issues, public authority and citizenship, violence and peace-building, and geopolitics, among others.

Please submit an abstract of up to 500 words indicating the type of presentation proposed for day one (paper, video or another format), together with the objective and the structure or thematic axes to be addressed.

Where to submit abstracts

Abstracts should be sent to icarrdacademic@gmail.com together with a short biographical note on the author(s) (a brief biography maximum of up to 50 words of each author).

Timetable:

• Deadline for submission of applications/abstracts: 15 November 2025
• Announcement of results: 30 November
• Deadline for accepted participants’ full papers: 31 January 2026

The organizers have very little resources. We will not charge any conferences fees, and might be able to offer free lunches during the conference, but we are unlikely to provide travel and accommodation support.

Participants at the 20-22 February academic conference are also invited to the official ICARRD+20 where there are 120 representatives from national governments and intergovernmental institutions as well as social movements. This will take place on 24-28 February, also in Cartagena. We will organize field visits on 23 February.