Natacha Bruna

Natacha Bruna is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Global Development at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), Cornell University. Her research intersects with critical development and agrarian studies, focusing on green extractivism, land/resource grabbing, and environmental policies.

• Ph.D. in Development Studies, International Institute of Social Studies (The Hague), Erasmus University Rotterdam
• MSc in Economics, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
• BSc in Economics and Management, Universidade Politécnica, Mozambique

Bruna's research explores how extractive industries and climate policies reshape rural livelihoods, emphasizing social reproduction, land rights, and accumulation dynamics. She analyzes the implications of carbon markets and green land uses on rural communities in Mozambique and broader African contexts.

Her recent publications investigate topics such as climate-smart policies, financialization of nature, and gender inequalities in agrarian systems. Key sub-fields include agrarian authoritarianism, resistance movements, and climate justice activism.

As a member of the Observatório do Meio Rural in Mozambique and an associate editor of the Feminist Africa journal, Bruna contributes to critical agrarian and feminist scholarship.