Mythbusting

Isn't "reparative land justice" just finger-pointing?

Reparative land justice is not about blaming individuals for owning land, or punishing them for owning it. It is about understanding the injustice at the heart of the current land system, and rejecting that this model is inevitable. We are not interested in punishment but in equity. This may necessitate uncomfortable changes for some people but will ultimately benefit us all.

Don't you just hate successful people minding their own business?

No. We hate systems which allow some people to succeed and pre-destine others to fail. Inherited wealth is never earned, and even the generation who did "earn" this wealth probably did this through the exploitation of workers and enslaved people. We don't think this is fair, and we will not accept things as they are just because this is the way it has been for centuries.

How are identity markers like race, income and disability related to land use?

We think it's important to ask why things are the way they are. Private land ownership emerged largely in order to benefit the upper classes, with peasants and low income communities driven away from the land to benefit capitalist industry. Class and capitalism are therefore integral to the maintenance of the current land use system. And there are endless documented links between class, capitalism, and things like racial oppression, patriarchy, ableism and the subjugation of the Global Majority. It is all interconnected.

So you want the land to be ruined?

We do not believe humans are inherently destructive to the environment, but many of us do need to re-learn how to care for the land because our connection to nature, and our knowledge of land stewardship, has been ripped away from us. We cannot do this from behind fences. We are environmental stewards and farmers ourselves, and we are led by people with deep knowledge of caring for the land.