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Land Rush in Contemporary Paraguay: Agricultural Commodity Frontier, State and Illegality

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  • Valdemar João Wesz Junior

Abstract

This article analyses the recent dynamics of land grabbing in Paraguay, focusing on the Department of Alto Paraguay in the western (Chaco) region between 2009 and 2023. Drawing on a unique dataset based on Paraguay's Rural Landowners Registry, the article combines interview information with a review of academic and documentary sources to show that, unlike the global trend of deceleration since 2014, the land rush in Paraguay has not only persisted but has intensified in recent years, driven mainly by national and regional capital. The analysis identifies three key factors explaining this momentum: the availability of cheap land in an expanding agricultural commodity frontier; state protection and political stability that benefit large national and foreign landowners; and the presence of capital of dubious origin, linked to corruption, financial crimes and drug trafficking. The Paraguayan case thus contributes to the literature by demonstrating that land rush endures in contexts where legality, illegality and agro‐extractivism intertwine, drawing greater attention to regional scales, non‐institutional forms of capital and ‘invisible’ land uses shaping agrarian dynamics.

Suggested Citation

  • Valdemar João Wesz Junior, 2026. "Land Rush in Contemporary Paraguay: Agricultural Commodity Frontier, State and Illegality," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 57(4), pages 754-788, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:devchg:v:57:y:2026:i:4:p:754-788
    DOI: 10.1111/dech.70072
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Franco, Jennifer C. & Borras, Saturnino M., 2019. "Grey areas in green grabbing: subtle and indirect interconnections between climate change politics and land grabs and their implications for research," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 192-199.
    2. Marc Edelman & Andrés León, 2013. "Cycles of Land Grabbing in Central America: an argument for history and a case study in the Bajo Aguán, Honduras," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(9), pages 1697-1722, October.
    3. Derek Hall, 2013. "Primitive Accumulation, Accumulation by Dispossession and the Global Land Grab," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(9), pages 1582-1604, October.
    4. Jennifer Franco & Lyla Mehta & Gert Jan Veldwisch, 2013. "The Global Politics of Water Grabbing," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(9), pages 1651-1675, October.
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