The Writeshop in Critical Agrarian Studies and Scholar-Activism is an initiative of the Journal of Peasant Studies, and is designed to help early career researchers hone their research and writing skills within critical agrarian studies.
This year's writeshop was particularly special: for the first time, it was held exclusively with young African scholars. Hosted at the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape, in Cape Town, the writeshop brought together emerging researchers from the continent to learn, exchange ideas, and refine their academic skills with some of the prolific academics and scholars in land and agrarian studies.
We spoke to five of 25 writeshop participants, each working in different fields and from various regions across the continent, about their experiences. They reflected on their journeys as researchers so far, learning and mentorship they received during the programme, and their plans for the future based on insights gained at the writeshop.
The programme was facilitated by:
- Dr Faustina Obeng Adomaa, Ghana
- Dr Kennedy Manduna, Zimbabwe
- Dr David Olanya, Ghana
- Dr Loveness Msofi, Malawi
- Dhouha Djerbi, Tunisia
- Professor Ruth Hall, South Africa
- Professor Jun Borras, Phillipines/Netherlands
Meet the full cohort and read about their interests and research expertise here.
Meet the early career researchers
Amr Khairy — Egypt
Amr Khairy attained his PhD in November 2023 at the Department of Human Geography and Human Ecology, Lund University. He is currently affiliated with CEDEJ/Ifao French research institutions under CNRS, where he is conducting a survey of the Nile Delta for material artefacts of 19th-century agrarian-industrial history.
Patience Sibanda — Zimbabwe
Patience is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg and Lecturer at the Department of Community Studies at Midlands State University in Zimbabwe. Her research explores food sovereignty amidst agricultural modernisation among small-scale farmers in Binga, Zimbabwe, with a focus on decolonial perspectives and indigenous knowledge systems.
Mwangi Chege — Kenya
Mwangi completed his PhD in Geography from Clark University in Worcester in May 2025. His research interests lie at the intersection of critical agrarian studies and urban geography in the Global South. His dissertation research examined how urban-based actors who are farming on medium-scale landholdings in rural areas are shaping the development of commercial agriculture in Kenya.
Mamie Ratsaramiafara — Madagascar
Mamie obtained her PhD in 2020. Her doctoral research focused on the dynamism of peasants' perceptions and adaptation to climate change in the central area of Madagascar. She is currently affiliated with the Université d'Antananarivo as a teacher-researcher.
Diane Tapimali — Cameroon
Diane is a consultant in Law and Policy for Natural Resource Management and a lecturer, with a PhD in Mining Law (2023). Her work reflects a strong commitment to environmental, mining, land, and economic issues. She currently serves as Lobbying and Advocacy Manager for the ProPFR Project, supported by GIZ and implemented by the Center for Environment and Development.
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