Michael Kugelman

Michael Kugelman

Michael Kugelman is the Senior Program Associate for South and Southeast Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. His work largely focuses on water, energy, food, land, and national security issues, particularly in, but not limited to, South Asia. His recent publications included the coedited volumes Empty Bellies, Broken Dreams: Food Insecurity and the Future of Pakistan (Vanguard Press, 2011) and Land Grab? The Race for the World’s Farmland (Wilson Center, 2009).

Wealthy Investors vs. the Land, Livelihoods, and Locals

By Michael Kugelman / On April 7th, 2016
Whenever we hear about stories like these, stories of such immense exploitation and predation, there is a tendency to think: How can this happen? How can obscenely rich investors run roughshod over the land, livelihoods, and rights of impoverished local communities, and with utterly no consequences?
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Hudson Valley World View: In Race for Farmland, Locals Lose

By Michael Kugelman / On October 24th, 2013
Imagine the Town of Poughkeepsie — all 31 square miles of it. Now imagine that this entire area is acquired by foreign land investors. And now imagine that the equivalent of 3,742 Poughkeepsies has been obtained by these financiers over the last decade. This may sound far-fetched.