After centuries of a landlord-tenant system dating back to feudal times and the Highland Clearances, a new law has opened the door for Scottish communities to change their relationship with the land they live on. Balancing human rights and property rights was key to getting The Land Reform (Scotland) Act passed in 2016. Dr. Kirsteen Shields will highlight how understanding land tenure through a human rights lens made Scotland’s new approach possible, and what difference this makes for the people and the land. As farmland ownership concentration intensifies and access to land becomes increasingly difficult in Canada, Scotland’s example shows that a more equitable, sustainable and democratic approach to land is possible.
About the presenter
Dr Kirsteen Shields is a lecturer in international law and food security at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and a member of its Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security, an interdisciplinary hub of research, teaching and consulting expertise, to support decision making to transform agri-food systems and food security. A recipient of the Royal Society of Edinburgh / Fulbright award for her research on food and land reform at Berkeley, University of California. She is the author of Human Rights and the Work of the Scottish Land Commission which outlines key human rights developments and obligations relevant to Scottish land reform in the context of the Commission’s goals and the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Webinar recording:
