‘We would rather die in jail fighting for land, than die of hunger’: a Ugandan case study examining the deployment of corporate-led community development in the green economy

Abstract

In this article we take the case study of Green Resources, a Norwegian private company engaged in plantation forestry for the production of timber and the sale of carbon credits in two Central Forest Reserves in Uganda. Drawing on fieldwork conducted during 2012 and 2013 we examine the deployment of community development by the company within the context of what is known as the green economy. Green Resources has been chosen as a case study given its scale, and the broad range of activities it refers to as community development. Our findings explore some of the ambiguities, contestations and complexities within this deployment of community development. This case study analysis provides in-depth insights into broader development trends occurring within the context of a relatively new form of economic activity, understood as the green economy – encompassing market-based initiatives that are broadly recognized as environmentally responsible. Findings indicate a gap between the claims of community development and the lived reality amongst affected villagers. Such a gap has implications for critical scholarship in relation to deployment of community development discourse and practices, particularly when community development is utilized within the context the green economy.