Power to make land dispossession acceptable: a policy discourse analysis of the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE), Papua, Indonesia

• Published in: The Journal of peasant studies Vol. 41; no. 1; pp. 29 - 50
• Main Authors: Ito, Takeshi, Rachman, Noer Fauzi, Savitri, Laksmi A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Routledge 02.01.2014; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: agrarian environments; Agricultural economics; Agriculture; Biodiesel fuels; Biofuels; Business investment; Capital; Coalitions; Crops; Discourse Analysis; Elites; Energy; Environmental Factors; environmental impact; Food; food and energy estate; food crops; Food Security; Food supply; foreign markets; Indonesia; Investment; issues and policy; Land; land grab; Markets; State; Papua Indonesia; Indonesia, Irian Jaya, Merauke; Indonesia
• ISSN: 1743-9361; 0306-6150; 1743-9361
• DOI: 10.1080/03066150.2013.873029

The Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) in Papua, Indonesia, is a state-led mega-project to transform local agriculture through large-scale corporate investment in food crops and biofuels for foreign markets. The project has led to extensive land dispossession, accompanied by devastating social and ecological impacts. This contribution analyzes how discourse regarding food and energy crises has been employed to release land from customary tenure to a coalition of state, corporate and local elite actors. The interests of these actors have converged on the state-led mega-project to transform local agriculture through large-scale corporate investment in food crops and biofuels in the name of national food security.