Landmines: The local effects of demining

Anti-personnel landmines pose a significant barrier to long-term development, threatening lives and obstructing mobility, preventing agricultural investments, market access and schooling. By analyzing geolocated data on demining operations in Colombia and taking advantage of its staggered implementation, we show that comprehensive humanitarian demining, involving affected communities, significantly boosts economic activity and population density, particularly in areas with better market access. We also observe improved academic achievement partially due to access to a better educational environment. Finally, demining reduces coca plantations, with no impact on extractive economic activities.