Non-conventional anti-personnel landmines and sustainable livelihoods in Colombian rural areas

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to explore how sustainable livelihoods are affected by the presence of non-conventional anti-personnel landmines placed in rural areas by understanding the impact of anti-personnel landmines on different types of capital (natural, physical, financial, social, and human) that sustain rural livelihoods. This study focuses on Colombia because most of the anti-personnel landmines that have been laid by Colombian guerrilla groups are non-conventional, which makes it difficult to detect them. To solve this situation, new protocols have been generated that have allowed 225 municipalities to be certified as free of suspicion of anti-personnel mines. However, it is necessary to ascertain whether these certifications have mitigated the uncertainty generated in those who inhabit these territories. For this reason, a conceptual model is proposed, which should be validated in future research.