Unearthed: land, power and inequality in Latin America

Combating inequality in Latin America requires addressing the extreme concentration in access to and control over land, as well as in the distribution of benefits from its use.

New data explain why Latin America is the most unequal region of the world in land distribution. High dependency on the ‘extractivist’ model of production, based on large-scale exploitation of natural resources, drives inequality and leads to greater concentration of land, wealth, and economic and political power. It has also generated more violence against those who defend the land, water, forests, and the rights of women, indigenous peoples and small farmer communities.

The practices that foster inequality must end and a new redistribution of land is needed, which requires eliminating the privileges of elites and strengthening the rights of all people and communities.