Welcome to PLAAS

PLAAS is widely considered to be the leading research body in Southern Africa in relation to issues of land, natural resource management and rural development. It is a university-based research institute established in 1995 at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), and has an impressive track record of high quality research, teaching, and policy engagement over the past two decades. Its research findings are widely cited, both locally and globally, and its senior researchers have played an influential role in many policy processes in the post-apartheid period. PLAAS offers a Postgraduate Diploma in Land and Agrarian Studies, as well as research-based Masters and PhD degrees, and attracts students from across Africa. Many PLAAS alumni occupy important positions in government, both locally and in neighbouring states. Key to the success of PLAAS is its insistence on independent, rigorous and critical research, which provides a strong evidence base for policy advocacy and informs its teaching programme.