Enrique Castañón Ballivián

I am a political economist researching the dynamics, theory, and politics of agrarian change and environmental governance in Latin America. I focus on the processes of agribusiness expansion and resource extraction that are radically transforming landscapes and social relations throughout the region.

My research has been published in top academic journals such as the Journal of Peasant Studies and the Journal of Agrarian Change where I currently serve as Editor. I have also authored commissioned research on food security and sustainable agriculture for various development organisations, such as Oxfam and the FDCL.

I joined UCL in 2022 after four years of teaching at SOAS Department of Development Studies where I completed my PhD funded by Research Studentship. I also hold an MSc in Environment and Development (Distinction) from King’s College London, which I read in 2008 thanks to a Chevening Scholarship.

Before embarking on the PhD, I spent several years working as a ‘development practitioner’ for prominent development organizations such as the United Nations, Oxfam, the Irish charity Trocaire, and other local NGOs in my home country of Bolivia. During those years, I was involved in various initiatives to promote sustainable development in different countries of Latin America.