Reforma Agraria - Artículos Varios

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Iand reform / rforme agraire / reforma agraria 2003/2
ISSN 0251-1894
Editor/Rdacteur/Redactor en Jefe
P. Groppo
Editing, design, graphics and
desktop publishing/Rdaction,
mise en page, graphiques
et dition lectronique/
Redaccin, compaginacin,
elaboracin grfca y
composicin electrnica:
EditoriaI Group, FAO
Information Division/Groupe
de I'dition, Division de
I'information de Ia FAO/
Grupo EditoriaI, Direccin de
Informacin de Ia FAO
Editorial Board/Comit de
rdaction/Comit de Redaccin
M. Cox, P. Munro-Faure,
J. Dey-Abbas, J. Rouse,
S. Baas
This bulletin is issued by FAO as
a medium for the dissemination
of information and views on land
reform and related subjects to
the United Nations, FAO Member
Governments and national
and international experts and
institutions. Articles are published
in the original language (English,
French or Spanishj.
Readers requiring more
detailed information concerning
this bulletin or articles therein
should write to the Editor, /and
Refo|m, /and Sett|ement and
Coooe|at|ves, Rural Development
Division, FAO, viale delle Terme di
Caracalla, 00100 Rome, ltaly.
The opinions expressed in this
document are the personal views
of the individual authors and do not
necessarily refect those of FAO.
Le prsent bulletin a pour but de
fournir des renseignements et de
faire connaitre des opinions sur la
rforme agraire et les questions
connexes l'Organisation
des Nations Unies, aux Etats
Membres de la FAO, ainsi
qu'aux experts et institutions
nationaux et internationaux. Les
articles paraissent dans la langue
originale (en franais, anglais ou
espagnolj.
Les lecteurs dsireux
d'obtenir des renseignements
complmentaires sur ce bulletin
sont pris de s'adresser au
rdacteur, Refo|me ag|a||e,
co|on|sat|on et coooe|at|ves
ag||co|es, Division du
dveloppement rural, FAO, viale
delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100
Rome, ltalie.
Les opinions exprimes dans
le prsent bulletin n'engagent
que leurs auteurs et ne sont pas
ncessairement celles de la FAO.
La presente publicacin es
editada por la FAO como medio
difusor de informacin
y opiniones sobre la reforma
agraria y temas conexos entre las
Naciones Unidas, los
Estados Miembros y expertos
e instituciones nacionales
e internacionales. Se publican
articulos originales en espaol,
francs e ingls.
Los lectores que deseen
obtener ms detalles sobre este
boletin o sobre los articulos que
fguran en l debern
escribir a: Redactor en Jefe,
Refo|ma ag|a||a, co|on|zac|n
y coooe|at|vas, Direccin de
Desarrollo Rural, FAO, viale delle
Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Roma,
ltalia.
Los articulos expresan
las opiniones personales de
sus autores y no representan
necesariamente los puntos de
vista de la FAO.
Tel.: (+39j 06 57054741
Fax: (+39j 06 57053152
E-mail: paolo.groppo@fao.org
Web site:
www.fao.org/sd/ltdirect/landrf.htm
2 PreIaceJPrIaceJPreIacIo
9 FAO and Iand tenureJLa FAO et Ies rgImes IoncIersJLa FAO y Ia tenencIa de Ia tIerra
M. Cox, P. Munro-Fuurc, P. MutIcu, A. Hcrrcru, D. Pumcr und P. Croppo
12 FAO In agrarIan reIorm
Lc rlc dc la FAO dans la rcfornc agrairc
La FAO cn cl anliio dc la rcforna agraria
M.H. E-CIoncm
32 Land reIorm deveIopment chaIIenges oI 1963-2003 contInue Into the twenty-
6rst century
Lcs rollcncs dc dcvclocncni lics la rcfornc agrairc dc 1963-2003 crsisicni
l'aulc du XXI
c
sicclc
Los dcsafios ara cl dcsarrollo rclacionados con las rcfornas agrarias dc 1963-2003
crsisicn cn cl siglo XXI
M.H. Curtcr
44 DesIgnIng Iand and property rIghts reIorm Ior poverty aIIevIatIon and
Iood securIty
Fairc cn soric quc la rcfornc agrairc ci la rcfornc dcs droiis dc roricic conirilucni
rcduirc la auvrcic ci ronouvoir la sccuriic alincniairc
Fornular rcfornas dc la roicdad y los dcrccIos solrc la iicrra cn favor
dc la niiigacion dc la olrcza y la scguridad alincniaria
J.E. du Vcgu
SS Poverty aIIevIatIon through access to Iand: the experIence oI the BrazIIIan
agrarIan reIorm process
Fcduirc la auvrcic cn faciliiani l'acccs la icrrc. l'ccricncc dc la rcfornc agrairc
lrcsilicnnc
Fcducir la olrcza ncdianic cl acccso a la iicrra. la ccricncia dcl roccso
dc rcforna agraria lrasilcno
E.A. Cuurdun
?0 Impact oI access to Iand on Iood securIty and poverty: the case oI PhIIIppIne
agrarIan reIorm
Acccs la icrrc, sccuriic alincniairc ci auvrcic. lc cas dc la rcfornc agrairc au
PIiliincs
Acccso a la iicrra, scguridad alincniaria y olrcza. cl caso dc la rcforna agraria
fliina
A. Vurmun
S4 La reIorma agrarIa mexIcana: una vIsIn de Iargo pIazo
Mcican land rcforn. a long-icrn crscciivc
La rcfornc agrairc ncicainc. unc vision long icrnc
D. HoscI
96 Land conHIct management In South AIrIca: Iessons Iearned Irom a Iand
rIghts approach
La gcsiion dcs coniis foncicrs cn Afriquc du Sud. lcons iirccs d'unc arocIc
fondcc sur lcs droiis foncicrs
Ccsiion dc los conicios or la iicrra cn Sudafrica. cnscnanzas dc un cnfoquc
lasado cn los dcrccIos
H. Acgrctt
112EvoIucIn y tendencIas de Ias reIormas agrarIas en AmrIca LatIna
Evolucion y icndcncias dc las rcfornas agrarias cn Ancrica Laiina
Pasi and rcscni land rcforn in Laiin Ancrica
Evoluiion ci icndanccs dcs siruciurcs agraircs cn Ancriquc laiinc
O
2003J2
Iand reform / rforme agraire / reforma agraria 2
Preface
Lund Hcorm, Lund Scttcmcnt und Coopcrutucs frsi acarcd 40 ycars ago, in Scicnlcr
1963. TIc Dirccior of iIc Fural Insiiiuiions and Scrviccs Division ai iIc iinc, Mr Viggo
Andcrsscn, a rcdcccssor of ninc, siaicd. In a fcld as conlc and conirovcrsial as iIai
of land rcforn, fundancnial lnowlcdgc of iIc ccononic, agriculiural, social, lcgal and
culiural laclground io siruciural rclaiions could alonc consiiiuic iIc lasis of sound
judgcncni, lanning and aciion. Howcvcr, daia on land rcforn arc circncly diffuscd,
inadcquaicly organizcd and noi wcll undcrsiood, iIcrcly liniiing considcrally iIc
alicaiion of iIc infornaiion gaincd ly ccris and insiiiuiions iIrougIoui iIc world."
TIc rollcns raiscd ly Mr Andcrsscn in 1963 siill aly ioday and Iavc always lccn
addrcsscd ly iIis ullicaiion wiiI rofcssionalisn and in iIc lroadcsi of crscciivcs,
wiiI coniriluiions fron FAO collcagucs and fron ccris and olicy-nalcrs iIrougIoui
iIc world.
TIus lcgan iIc ullicaiion of a scrics of ariiclcs inicndcd io rovidc ncnlcr counirics,
iIcir insiiiuiions and civil sociciy wiiI grcaicr insigIis inio iIc rcforn roccsscs of oiIcr
aris of iIc world, wiiI diffcrcni idcologics, nciIodologics and/or raciiccs. TIc lullciin
Ias lccn availallc in clccironic vcrsion on iIc FAO Wcl siic sincc 1996 (www.fao.org/sd/
lidircci/landrf.Iin}.
Foriy ycars laicr, iIc inoriani issuc of land is lacl on iIc inicrnaiional dcvcloncni
agcnda. Nccds Iavc cIangcd and ncw dincnsions Iavc lccn addcd io asi conccrns.
Ccndcr issucs Iavc lcconc inicgral io FAO's worl and Lund Hcorm, Lund Scttcmcnt und
Coopcrutucs Ias ullisIcd ariiclcs on wIciIcr rural woncn's rigIis Iavc lccn rccognizcd
or noi in land rcforn rogranncs. TIc cnvironncni Ias lcconc anoiIcr dincnsion of
socio-ccononic vialiliiy, wiiI rcoris on succcssful and unsucccssful ccricnccs around
iIc world. All iIcsc faciors Iavc rcquircd norc cillc and ocn ways of dcaling wiiI iIc
issuc of cquiiallc acccss io naiural rcsourccs, noially land. For land coniinucs io lc a
rioriiy conccrn for iIc rcsIaing of our world, csccially if wc considcr iIai cnduring
ovcriy in rural arcas accounis for 75 crccni of iIc world's oor.
Lund Hcorm, Lund Scttcmcnt und Coopcrutucs Ias always ronoicd iIc ccIangc
of ccricnccs and Ias scrvcd as an ocn forun wIcrc anyonc worling on land rcforn
can fnd uscful guidclincs. Today's cIallcngcs arc fcrccr iIan cvcr and wc lclicvc iIai
iIis laiforn nccds io lc nainiaincd and sircngiIcncd, giving voicc io civil sociciy, non-
govcrnncnial organizaiions and collcagucs fron univcrsiiics and iIc fcld.
In iIis issuc, wc rcscni a Iisiorical ovcrvicw fron iIc crscciivc of our Fural
Dcvcloncni Division and collcagucs of iIc Land Tcnurc Scrvicc. Wc lcgin wiiI a
coniriluiion fron Profcssor Fiad El-CIoncny, iIc forncr CIicf of iIc Land Tcnurc
Scrvicc and onc of iIc originaiors of iIis lullciin lacl in iIc 1960s. Hc counds Iis
vicws on iIc cIallcngcs of land rcforn and on Iow iIcsc Iavc cIangcd ovcr iIc asi foriy
ycars. TIcrc iIcn follow iIrcc ariiclcs, sulniiicd in May 2003 io iIc 29iI scssion of iIc
Conniiicc on World Food Sccuriiy, on iIc inaci of acccss io land on inroving food
sccuriiy and allcviaiing ovcriy. In iIc frsi, Profcssor MicIacl Caricr of iIc Univcrsiiy
of Wisconsin-Madison, iIc Uniicd Siaics, dcals wiiI iIc dcsign of land rcforn and land
rigIis as insiruncnis for allcviaiing ovcriy and cnIancing food sccuriiy. In iIc sccond
ariiclc, Profcssor Josc-Eli da Vciga of iIc Univcrsiiy of Sao Paulo, Drazil, rccounis Iis
couniry's rcccni ccricncc in land rcforn, wIilc, in iIc iIird, Mr Edgar A. Cuardian,
Hcad of iIc Agrarian Fcforn Projcci in iIc PIiliincs, rclaics iIc ccricncc of iIis
rojcci iIrougI wIicI FAO's Fural Dcvcloncni Division Ias suoricd land rcforn in
iIc PIiliincs sincc 1990. A sulscqucni ariiclc ly Mr Ariuro Warnan, forncr Minisicr
of Agrarian Fcforn of Mcico, givcs a Iisiorical synosis of Mcican agrarian rcforn,
wIicI was cIronologically iIc frsi of iIc lasi ccniury. Mr Dawic DoscI, a SouiI African
lawycr sccializing in land rigIis and disuics, rcoris a casc of land conici nanagcncni
in SouiI Africa. TIis issuc iIcn concludcs wiiI an ariiclc ly Mr Faul Alcgrcii, forncr
Minisicr of Agriculiurc of Vcnczucla and founding Dirccior of iIc Foundaiion for Training
and Alicd FcscarcI in Agrarian Fcforn (CIAFA}, wIo ialcs siocl of asi and rcscni
land rcforn roccsscs in Laiin Ancrica, wIicI is undoulicdly iIc rcgion wiiI iIc
grcaicsi rollcns of incqualiiy of land disiriluiion and iIc rcgion wIcrc sonc of iIc nosi
inoriani roccsscs of rcforn Iavc ialcn lacc.
Finally, ii is only rigIi iIai I sIould ialc iIis ooriuniiy io crcss ny dcc graiiiudc
io Paolo Croo, Offccr of iIc Land Tcnurc Scrvicc, for Iis sicwardsIi of iIis ullicaiion
sincc 1992. TIanls io Iis dcdicaiion, Lund Hcorm, Lund Scttcmcnt und Coopcrutucs Ias
nanagcd io raisc iis alrcady IigI siandards cvcn furiIcr.
MaxImIIIano Cox
Dirccior
FAO Fural Dcvcloncni Division
Prface
Il y a 40 ans, cn scicnlrc 1963, araissaii our la rcnicrc fois lc lullciin Hcormc
ugrurc, coonsuton ct coopcrutucs ugrcocs. Lc Dirccicur dc la Division dcs insiiiuiions ci
scrviccs rurau dc la FAO dc l'coquc, M. Viggo Andcrsscn, non rcdcccsscur, dcclaraii.
Dans un donainc aussi conlcc ci aussi conirovcrsc quc cclui dc la rcfornc agrairc,
c'csi sculcncni si l'on connaii licn lc cadrc ccononiquc, agricolc, social, juridiquc ci
culiurcl quc l'on ourra jugcr, organiscr ci agir raiionncllcncni. Or, lcs infornaiions sur
la rcfornc agrairc soni circncncni carillccs, nal classccs ci nal inicrrciccs, cc qui
liniic ircs scricuscncni l'cloiiaiion dcs rcnscigncncnis rccucillis ar lcs ccris ci ar
lcs organisaiions un cu arioui dans lc nondc. Lcs rollcncs dccriis ar M. Andcrsscn
cn 1963 sc oscni cncorc aujourd'Iui ci n'oni ccssc d'circ iraiics avcc rofcssionnalisnc
ci largcur dc vuc ar cciic ullicaiion laqucllc conirilucni non sculcncni dcs collcgucs
dc la FAO, nais aussi dcs ccris ci dcs rcsonsallcs oliiiqucs du nondc cniicr.
C'csi ainsi qu'a dcnarrc la ullicaiion d'unc scric d'ariiclcs visani nicu inforncr
lcs ays ncnlrcs, lcs insiiiuiions ci la socicic civilc dc la faon doni ccs rcforncs
ciaicni ncnccs dans d'auircs ariics du nondc, avcc d'auircs oricniaiions idcologiqucs,
nciIodologiqucs ou raiiqucs. Dcuis 1996, la rcvuc csi disonillc cn vcrsion
clccironiquc sur lc siic Wcl dc la FAO (www.fao.org/sd/lidircci/landrf.Iin}.
Quaranic annccs soni assccs ci la qucsiion caiialc dc la icrrc s'inosc nouvcau
l'ordrc du jour du dcvclocncni inicrnaiional. Lcs lcsoins oni cIangc ci dc nouvcllcs
dincnsions soni vcnucs s'ajouicr au rcoccuaiions d'anian. La rollcnaiiquc Ionncs-
fcnncs a cic inicgrcc dans lcs aciiviics dc la FAO ci Hcormc ugrurc, coonsuton ct
coopcrutucs ugrcocs a ullic dcs ariiclcs sur la faon doni lcs droiis dcs fcnncs ruralcs
oni cic ris cn conic, ou non, dans lcs rogranncs dc rcfornc agrairc. Dc ncnc,
la dincnsion ccologiquc csi vcnuc s'ajouicr au rcoccuaiions rclaiivcs la vialiliic
socioccononiquc ci lcs rcsuliais dcs ccricnccs rcalisccs un cu arioui dans lc nondc
oni cic largcncni diffuscs. Tous ccs facicurs rcndcni aujourd'Iui ncccssairc la rccIcrcIc
dc nouvcllcs nodaliics, lus soulcs ci lus ouvcrics, our affronicr lc rollcnc dc l'acccs
cquiiallc au rcssourccs naiurcllcs ci, cn ariiculicr, la icrrc. La icrrc dcncurc unc
qucsiion rioriiairc nalgrc lcs cIangcncnis du nondc d'aujourd'Iui, cn raison surioui dc
la crsisiancc dc la auvrcic dans lcs zoncs ruralcs, ou vivcni 75 our ccni dcs auvrcs
du nondc.
Hcormc ugrurc, coonsuton ct coopcrutucs ugrcocs a ioujours cIcrcIc ronouvoir
la confroniaiion dcs ccricnccs offrani un forun ouvcri ou ious ccu qui iravaillcni
dans lc donainc dc la rcfornc agrairc cuvcni irouvcr dcs oricniaiions uiilcs. Loin
dc sc rcsoudrc, lcs rollcncs soni cIaquc jour lus ccrasanis, cc qui nous inciic
nainicnir ci rcnforccr cci csacc dc dialoguc cnirc la socicic civilc, lcs organisaiions non
gouvcrncncnialcs ci lcs collcgucs univcrsiiaircs ou dc icrrain.
Nous rcscnions dans cc nuncro unc crscciivc Iisioriquc du oini dc vuc dc noirc
Division du dcvclocncni rural ci dcs collcgucs du Scrvicc dcs rcgincs foncicrs. Nous
conncnons ar unc coniriluiion dc M. Fiad El-CIoncny, ancicn cIcf du Scrvicc dcs
rcgincs foncicrs ci l'un dcs crcaicurs dc cciic rcvuc dans lcs annccs 60. Dans son ariiclc,
il donnc son oini dc vuc sur lcs dcfs oscs ar la rcfornc agrairc ci sur lcur cvoluiion au
cours dcs 40 dcrnicrcs annccs. Suivcni irois ariiclcs rcscnics cn nai 2003 la vingi-
ncuvicnc scssion du Coniic dc la sccuriic alincniairc nondialc sur l'inaci dc l'acccs
la icrrc sur la sccuriic alincniairc ci la luiic conirc la auvrcic. Lc rcnicr, dc M. MicIacl
Caricr dc l'Univcrsiic dc Wisconsin-Madison, au Eiais-Unis, iraiic dc la concciion dcs
rcforncs agraircs ci dcs droiis dc roricic connc insiruncni our rcduirc la auvrcic
ci favoriscr la sccuriic alincniairc. Dans lc sccond, lc rofcsscur Josc-Eli da Vciga, dc
l'Univcrsiic dc Sao Paolo, au Drcsil, rcscnic l'ccricncc rcccnic dc cc ays cn naiicrc dc
rcfornc agrairc, iandis quc M. Edgar A. Cuardian, cIcf du rojci dc rcfornc agrairc au
PIiliincs, illusirc dans lc iroisicnc ariiclc l'ccricncc dc cc rojci ar lc liais duqucl
la Division du dcvclocncni rural dc la FAO a auyc lc roccssus dc rcfornc agrairc
ncnc au PIiliincs dcuis lcs annccs 90. Dans un auirc ariiclc, M. Ariuro Warnan,
ancicn Minisirc ncicain dc la rcfornc agrairc, rciracc l'Iisioriquc dc la rcfornc agrairc
ncicainc qui fui la rcnicrc rcfornc agrairc du sicclc dcrnicr. M. Dawic DoscI, avocai
sud-africain sccialisc dans lcs droiis ci lcs coniis agraircs, rcscnic un cas dc gcsiion dc
conii foncicr cn Afriquc du Sud. Lc nuncro sc icrninc ar un ariiclc dc M. Faul Alcgrcii,
ancicn Minisirc vcnczuclicn dc l'agriculiurc ci dirccicur fondaicur dc la Fondaiion our
la fornaiion ci la rccIcrcIc aliqucc la rcfornc agrairc (CIAFA}, qui faii lc lilan dc
l'cvoluiion ci dcs icndanccs dcs roccssus dc rcfornc agrairc cn Ancriquc laiinc, rcgion
qui connaii ccriaincncni lcs lus gravcs rollcncs d'incgaliic cn naiicrc dc rcariiiion
dcs icrrcs ci ou oni cic aliqucs quclqucs-uns dcs rinciau roccssus dc rcfornc.
Enfn, jc saisis cciic occasion our rcndrc jusiicc la gcsiion dc Paolo Croo,
fonciionnairc du Scrvicc dcs rcgincs foncicrs dc la Division doni jc suis cIargc, ci lc
rcncrcicr d'avoir coniriluc au succcs dc cciic ullicaiion dcuis 1992. Cracc son
dcvoucncni, Hcormc ugrurc, coonsuton ct coopcrutucs ugrcocs a rcussi dcasscr scs
rorcs norncs d'cccllcncc.
MaxImIIIano Cox
Dirccicur
Division du dcvclocncni rural dc la FAO
Prefac|o
Hacc cuarcnia anos, cn sciicnlrc dc 1963, aarccia or rincra vcz Hcormu ugruru,
coonzucon coopcrutuus. El cnionccs Dirccior dc la Dircccion dc Insiiiucioncs y
Scrvicios Furalcs, Sr. Viggo Andcrsscn, anicccsor nio, dcclarala. En una naicria ian
conlcja y conirovcriillc cono la dc la rcforna agraria, un conocinicnio fundancnial dc
los anicccdcnics ccononicos, agricolas, socialcs, juridicos y culiuralcs dc las rclacioncs
csiruciuralcs odria consiiiuir or si solo una lasc ara un criicrio, un lancanicnio
y una accion accriados. Sin cnlargo, los daios solrc la rcforna agraria csian nuy
discninados, inadccuadancnic organizados y no licn inicrrciados, or lo cual la
alicacion dc la infornacion adquirida or ccrios c insiiiucioncs cn cl nundo cnicro
rcsulia considcrallcncnic liniiada. Los rollcnas lanicados or cl Sr. Andcrsscn cn
1963 sigucn vigcnics y Ian sido iraiados dcsdc csa fccIa con rofcsionalidad y anliiud
dc niras or csia ullicacion, incluycndo las conirilucioncs ianio dc colcgas dc la FAO
cono dc ccrios y oliiicos a nivcl nundial.
Fuc asi quc sc inicio la ullicacion dc una scric dc ariiculos quc sirvicscn a los aiscs
nicnlros, a sus insiiiucioncs y a la socicdad civil ara conoccr dc forna nas dcicnida
cono csios roccsos rcfornisias sc csialan roducicndo cn oiros lugarcs dcl nundo,
con oiras oricniacioncs idcologicas, nciodologicas y/o raciicas. Dcsdc 1996 la rcvisia sc
cncucnira disonillc cn vcrsion clccironica cn cl siiio Wcl dc la FAO

(www.fao.org/sd/
lidircci/landrf.Iin}.
Han iranscurrido cuarcnia anos y cl inorianic asunio dc la iicrra sc inonc dc nucvo
cn la agcnda inicrnacional dcl dcsarrollo. Las ncccsidadcs Ian canliado y Ian surgido
nucvas dincnsioncs quc sc Ian sunado a las rcocuacioncs dc aniano. Las cucsiioncs
dc gcncro sc Ian incororado dc nancra csiruciural cn las lalorcs dc FAO, y Hcormu
ugruru, coonzucon coopcrutuus Ia ullicado ariiculos solrc cono los dcrccIos dc
las nujcrcs ruralcs Ian sido rcconocidos o no cn los rogranas dc rcforna agraria.
Asinisno, la dincnsion anlicnial sc Ia sunado a las rcocuacioncs dc vialilidad
socioccononica y sc Ian dado a conoccr ciios y fracasos dc ccricncias quc sc Ian
inlcncniado cn cl nundo. Todos csios faciorcs Iaccn ncccsaria la lusqucda dc nucvas
fronas nas cillcs y alicrias dc cnfrcniar cl rollcna dcl acccso cquiiaiivo a los
rccursos naiuralcs, y cn csccial la iicrra. La iicrra siguc sicndo una cucsiion rioriiaria
cn cl anliio dc las condicioncs canlianics dcl nundo dc Ioy, cro solrc iodo dclido a la
crsisicncia dc la olrcza cn las arcas ruralcs, dondc vivc cl 75 or cicnio dc los olrcs
dcl nundo.
Hcormu ugruru, coonzucon coopcrutuus Ia favorccido cn iodo noncnio cl
inicrcanlio dc ccricncias, roonicndosc cono un foro alicrio dondc quicncs iralajan
cn cl cano dc la rcforna agraria ucdcn cnconirar oricniacioncs uiilcs. En adclanic,
los dcsafios son cada dia nayorcs, or lo quc crccnos quc sca ncccsario nanicncr y
rcforzar csic csacio dc dialogo dando voz a las conirilucioncs dc la socicdad civil, dc
organizacioncs no gulcrnancnialcs y dc colcgas univcrsiiarios y dc icrrcno.
En csic nuncro rcscnianos una rcscna Iisiorica rcalizada dcsdc cl unio dc visia
dc nucsira Dircccion dc Dcsarrollo Fural y dc los colcgas dcl Scrvicio dc Tcncncia dc la
Ticrra. Sc inicia con una conirilucion dcl Profcsor Fiad El-CIoncny, c-jcfc dcl Scrvicio
dc Tcncncia dc la Ticrra y uno dc los crcadorcs dc csia rcvisia cn los anos 1960. En su
ariiculo roonc su unio dc visia solrc los dcsafios dc la rcforna agraria y solrc cono
csios Ian cvolucionado cn los uliinos cuarcnia anos. Sc rosiguc con ircs ariiculos
rcscniados cn nayo dc 2003 al 29 criodo dc scsioncs dcl Coniic dc Scguridad
Alincniaria Mundial accrca dcl inacio dcl acccso a la iicrra cn cl ncjoranicnio dc la
scguridad alincniaria y cl alivio dc la olrcza. El rincro, dcl Profcsor MicIacl Caricr dc
la Univcrsidad dc Wisconsin-Madison, Esiados Unidos, iraia dcl discno dc las rcfornas
dc la iicrra y dc los dcrccIos dc roicdad cono insiruncnios ara aliviar la olrcza y
la scguridad alincniaria. En cl scgundo, cl Profcsor Josc-Eli da Vciga, dc la Univcrsidad
dc Sao Pallo, Drasil, rcscnia la ccricncia rccicnic dc csc ais cn naicria dc rcforna
agraria, nicniras quc cl Sr. Edgar A. Cuardian, Jcfc dcl Proyccio dc rcforna agraria cn
Filiinas, ilusira cn cl icrccro la ccricncia dc csic royccio ncdianic cl quc la Dircccion
dc Dcsarrollo Fural dc la FAO Ia rcsiado aoyo al roccso dc rcforna agraria cn
Filiinas dcsdc 1990. En oiro ariiculo, cl Sr. Ariuro Warnan, c Minisiro dc la Fcforna
Agraria dc Mcico, Iacc un rcsuncn Iisiorico dc la rcforna agraria ncicana, quc
fuc cronologicancnic la rincra rcforna agraria dcl siglo asado. El Sr. Dawic DoscI,
alogado sudafricano csccializado cn dcrccIos y conicios agrarios, rcscnia un caso
dc gcsiion dc conicios dc iicrras cn Sudafrica. Sc concluyc csic nuncro con cl ariiculo
dcl Sr. Faul Alcgrcii, c Minisiro dc Agriculiura dc Vcnczucla y Dirccior fundador dc la
Fundacion ara la Caaciiacion c Invcsiigacion Alicada a la Fcforna Agraria (CIAFA},
quicn Iacc un lalancc dc la cvolucion y icndcncias dc los roccsos dc rcforna agraria
cn Ancrica Laiina, quc cs scgurancnic la rcgion con nayorcs rollcnas dc dcsigualdad
cn la disirilucion dc la iicrra y la rcgion dondc Ian icnido lugar algunos dc los roccsos
rcfornisias nas inorianics.
Finalncnic, cn csia ocasion cs dclcr dc jusiicia y dc graiiiud agradcccr la gcsiion dc
Paolo Croo, Ofcial dcl Scrvicio dc Tcncncia dc la Ticrra dc la Dircccion a ni cargo, quc
Ia cuidado dc csia ullicacion dcsdc 1992. Cracias a su dcdicacion, Hcormu ugruru,
coonzucon coopcrutuus Ia conscguido sucrar sus alios csiandarcs anicriorcs.
MaxImIIIano Cox
Dirccior
Dircccion dc Dcsarrollo Fural dc la FAO
|and |efo|m / |efo|me ag|a||e / |efo|ma ag|a||a 2003/2 9
FAO and |and ten0|e
Acccss io land is a crucial facior in iIc cradicaiion of food insccuriiy and rural ovcriy.
Fural landlcssncss is oficn iIc lcsi rcdicior of ovcriy and Iungcr. TIc oorcsi arc
usually landlcss or land-oor. Inadcquaic rigIis of acccss io land, and insccurc icnurc
of iIosc rigIis, oficn rcsuli in cnircncIcd ovcriy and arc signifcani incdincnis io
rural dcvcloncni and iIc allcviaiion of food insccuriiy. Inrovcd acccss io land allows a
fanily io incrcasc IouscIold food consuniion, iIcrcly Icling io cnsurc IouscIold food
sccuriiy. Inrovcd acccss io land nay cnallc iIc fanily io incrcasc IouscIold inconc ly
roducing a surlus for salc in iIc narlci, and nay inrovc iIc aliliiy of a IouscIold
io acccss crcdii. Sccurc acccss io land oficn rovidcs a valuallc safciy nci as a sourcc of
sIclicr, food and inconc in iincs of IardsIi, and a fanily's land can lc iIc lasi availallc
rcsori in iIc insiancc of disasicr.
FAO worls in all rcgions of iIc world io inrovc acccss io land and io cnIancc icnurc
sccuriiy, ariicularly for iIc nosi narginalizcd grous. FAO's Land Tcnurc Scrvicc,
a ari of iIc Fural Dcvcloncni Division, assisis Mcnlcr Naiions in iIc analysis,
olicy fornulaiion and dcsign of siraicgics io inrovc sccurc acccss io land and
rclaicd rcsourccs. TccInical assisiancc Ias lccn rovidcd io inrovc acccss iIrougI
rcdisiriluiion in land rcforns as wcll as iIrougI inrovcd lcasing arrangcncnis and
land narlcis. FAO Ias assisicd inicrnally dislaccd crsons io Iavc acccss io land in
osi-conici siiuaiions wIilc siill roicciing iIc rigIis of iIc connuniiics in wIicI iIcy
Iavc lccn sciilcd. Pasioralisis Iavc lccn rovidcd wiiI sccurc and susiainallc acccss io
rangclands. Farncrs Iavc lccn rovidcd wiiI acccss io lciicr landIoldings iIrougI iIc
consolidaiion of iIcir snall fragncnicd arccls. Assisiancc Ias lccn rovidcd io cnallc
connuniiics io acquirc sccurc acccss io iIcir iradiiional cusionary land and so rcvcni
iIc loss of iIcir land io oiIcrs. Sccuriiy of acccss io rivaicly Icld land Ias lccn rovidcd
iIrougI iiiling and rcgisiraiion.
In addiiion io disscninaiing infornaiion iIrougI iIc Lund Hcorm, Lund Scttcmcnt und
Coopcrutucs lullciin, FAO ullisIcs a scrics of Lund Tcnurc Studcs. TIcsc siudics arc
concisc rcscniaiions on various asccis of land icnurc, csccially as iIcy rclaic io food
sccuriiy, ovcriy allcviaiion and rural dcvcloncni. Toics covcrcd includc.
1. Cadasiral survcys and rccords of rigIis in land (EnglisI and SanisI}
2. Cood raciicc guidclincs for agriculiural lcasing arrangcncnis (Aralic, EnglisI,
FrcncI and SanisI}
3. Land icnurc and rural dcvcloncni (EnglisI, FrcncI and SanisI}
4. Ccndcr and acccss io land (EnglisI, FrcncI and SanisI}
5. Fural rocriy ia sysicns in Ccniral and Easicrn Euroc (EnglisI}
Morc infornaiion on iIc Lund Tcnurc Studcs, and on FAO's worl in land icnurc, is
availallc on iIc following Wcl siics.
EnglisI Iii.//www.fao.org/sd/LTdircci/lisiudics_cn.Iin
Iii.//www.fao.org/sd/IN1_cn.Iin
FrcncI Iii.//www.fao.org/sd/LTdircci/lisiudics_fr.Iin
Iii.//www.fao.org/sd/IN1_fr.Iin
SanisI Iii.//www.fao.org/sd/LTdircci/lisiudics_cs.Iin
Iii.//www.fao.org/sd/IN1_cs.Iin
/a FAO et |es |eg|mes fonc|e|s
L'acccs la icrrc csi un facicur crucial dans l'cradicaiion dc l'insccuriic alincniairc ci
dc la auvrcic ruralc. Qui soni lcs auvrcs ci lcs affancs? Lc lus souvcni, dcs aysans
sans icrrc. Lcs lus auvrcs soni cn gcncral ccu qui nc osscdcni as dc icrrc ou ircs
cu. L'alscncc dc droiis d'acccs la icrrc ci l'insccuriic dc jouissancc dc ccs droiis soni
souvcni la causc d'unc auvrcic irrcncdiallc ci consiiiucni un olsiaclc inoriani au
dcvclocncni rural ci la sccuriic alincniairc. Un ncillcur acccs la icrrc crnci
unc fanillc d'accroiirc sa consonnaiion alincniairc ci coniriluc dc cc faii la sccuriic
alincniairc dcs ncnagcs. Un ncillcur acccs la icrrc cui crnciirc unc fanillc
d'accroiirc scs rcvcnus cn roduisani dcs cccdcnis qu'cllc vcndra sur lc narcIc ci lui
faciliicra l'acccs au crcdiis. L'acccs assurc la icrrc consiiiuc souvcni un flci dc sccuriic
rccicu qui crnci la fanillc dc sc logcr, dc sc nourrir ci aussi d'avoir dcs rcvcnus cn
criodc dc diffculics. En cas dc caiasiroIc, la icrrc fanilialc ourra consiiiucr lc dcrnicr
rccours.
La FAO iravaillc dans iouics lcs rcgions du nondc our ancliorcr l'acccs la icrrc
ci our rcnforccr la sccuriic dc jouissancc, noianncni our lcs groucs lcs lus
narginaliscs. Lc Scrvicc dcs rcgincs foncicrs dc la FAO, qui faii ariic dc la Division
du dcvclocncni rural, aidc lcs Eiais Mcnlrcs analyscr, fornulcr ci conccvoir dcs
siraicgics visani ancliorcr l'acccs la icrrc ci au rcssourccs connccs. Unc assisiancc
iccIniquc csi fournic our ancliorcr l'acccs la icrrc gracc la rcdisiriluiion dcs icrrcs
dans lc cadrc dcs rcforncs agraircs ainsi quc gracc dcs accords dc locaiion ci dcs
narcIcs foncicrs ancliorcs. La FAO aidc lcs crsonncs dclacccs acccdcr la icrrc dans
lcs criodcs osicricurcs un conii, ioui cn roicgcani lcs droiis dcs connunauics
d'accucil. Ellc aidc lcs asicurs nonadcs lcncfcicr d'un acccs sur ci durallc au
aiuragcs. Ccriaincs icrrcs agricolcs oni cic rcvalorisccs gracc au rcncnlrcncni. La FAO
aidc lcs connunauics olicnir un acccs sur lcurs icrrcs couiunicrcs iradiiionncllcs ci
cnccIc dc cc faii quc lcurs icrrcs nc soicni aiiriluccs d'auircs. La sccuriic d'acccs
la roricic foncicrc rivcc csi assurcc gracc la dclivrancc dc iiircs dc roricic ci lcur
cnrcgisircncni.
Toui cn diffusani dcs infornaiions gracc au lullciin Hcormc ugrurc, coonsuton ci
coopcrutucs ugrcocs, la FAO ullic unc collcciion iniiiulcc Etudes foncires. Ccs ciudcs
rooscni unc scric d'analyscs conciscs sur lcs qucsiions foncicrcs qui oni unc incidcncc
sur la sccuriic alincniairc, la luiic conirc la auvrcic ci lc dcvclocncni rural. Lcs sujcis
couvcris soni lcs suivanis.
1. Enqucics cadasiralcs ci raoris sur lcs droiis la icrrc (cn ungus ct cn cspugno)
2. Dircciivcs sur lcs lonncs raiiqucs dc rci-lail our l'agriculiurc (cn ungus, uruIc,
cspugno ct runus)
3. Qucsiions foncicrcs ci dcvclocncni rural (cn ungus, cspugno ct runus)
4. Prollcnaiiquc Ionncs-fcnncs ci acccs la icrrc (cn ungus, cspugno ct runus)
5. Fural rocriy ia sysicns in Ccniral and Easicrn Euroc (cn ungus)
On irouvcra dcs rcnscigncncnis sulcncniaircs sur lcs Etudcs onccrcs ci sur lcs
aciiviics dc la FAO cn naiicrc dc rcgincs foncicrs sur lcs siics Wcl ci-arcs.
En anglais Iii.//www.fao.org/sd/LTdircci/lisiudics_cn.Iin
En franais Iii.//www.fao.org/sd/LTdircci/lisiudics_fr.Iin
En csagnol Iii.//www.fao.org/sd/LTdircci/lisiudics_cs.Iin
/a FAO y |a tenenc|a de |a t|e||a
El acccso a la iicrra cs un facior dcicrninanic cn la crradicacion dc la inscguridad
alincniaria y la olrcza rural. La cisicncia dc cancsinos sin iicrras cs con frccucncia
la ncjor variallc ara la rcdiccion dc la olrcza y cl Ianlrc. Los nas olrcs suclcn
scr crsonas sin iicrras o con iicrras insufcicnics. Los dcrccIos inadccuados dc acccso
a la iicrra, y la icncncia inscgura dc csos dcrccIos, a ncnudo conllcvan una olrcza
crsisicnic y consiiiuycn incdincnios inorianics ara cl dcsarrollo rural y la
niiigacion dc la inscguridad alincniaria. Un acccso ncjorado a la iicrra crniic a las
fanilias auncniar su consuno dc alincnios, coniriluycndo dc csa nancra a roorcionar
scguridad alincniaria a los Iogarcs; asinisno crniic incrcncniar sus ingrcsos ncdianic
la roduccion dc cccdcnics quc ucdcn vcndcr cn cl ncrcado. Un acccso scguro a la
iicrra con frccucncia ofrccc una valiosa rcd dc scguridad al roorcionar una fucnic dc
vivicnda, alincnios c ingrcsos cn cocas dc cnuria; la iicrra dc una fanilia ucdc scr su
uliino rccurso disonillc cn caso dc caiasirofc.
La FAO iralaja cn iodas las rcgioncs dcl nundo ara ncjorar cl acccso a la iicrra
y auncniar la scguridad dc su icncncia, csccialncnic cn cl caso dc los gruos nas
narginados. El Scrvicio dc Tcncncia dc la Ticrra dc la FAO, quc forna aric dc la
Dircccion dc Dcsarrollo Fural, ayuda a los Esiados Micnlros cn cl analisis, la fornulacion
dc oliiicas y cl discno dc csiraicgias ara ncjorar cl acccso scguro a la iicrra y los
rccursos concos. Sc Ia lrindado asisicncia iccnica ara ncjorar cl acccso ncdianic la
rcdisirilucion dc iicrras cn cl narco dc rcfornas agrarias y la ncjora dc los coniraios
dc arrcndanicnio y los ncrcados dc iicrras. La FAO Ia rcsiado su ayuda a crsonas
dcslazadas dcniro dc sus aiscs ara quc icngan acccso a la iicrra cn las siiuacioncs
oslclicas, roicgicndo al nisno iicno los dcrccIos dc las conunidadcs cn las quc sc
Ian ascniado. Los asiorcs Ian olicnido acccso scguro y sosicnillc a los asiizalcs, y los
agriculiorcs Ian odido acccdcr a ncjorcs rcgincncs dc icncncia dc la iicrra gracias a la
unifcacion dc sus cqucnas arcclas fragncniadas. Sc Ia lrindado asisicncia con cl fn
dc quc las conunidadcs adquiricran un acccso scguro a sus iicrras iradicionalcs y, dc csc
nodo, rcvcnir la crdida dc sus iicrras cn lcncfcio dc oiros. Sc Ia garaniizado cl acccso
a las iicrras rivadas ncdianic la conccsion dc iiiulos dc icncncia y cl rcgisiro caiasiral.
Adcnas dc difundir infornacion a iravcs dcl lolciin Hcormu ugruru, coonzucon
coopcrutuus, la FAO ullica una scric dc Esiudios solrc icncncia dc la iicrra. Esios
csiudios concn dc forna concisa los divcrsos asccios dc la icncncia dc iicrras,
csccialncnic cn lo rclacionado con la scguridad alincniaria, la niiigacion dc la olrcza y
cl dcsarrollo rural. Enirc los icnas iraiados, calc ncncionar.
1. Esiudios y rcgisiros caiasiralcs solrc dcrccIos agrarios (cn cspuno c ngcs)
2. Dircciriccs solrc lucnas raciicas cn los coniraios dc arrcndanicnio agrario
(cn uruIc, cspuno, runccs c ngcs)
3. Tcncncia dc la iicrra y dcsarrollo rural (cn cspuno, runccs c ngcs)
4. Las cucsiioncs dc gcncro y cl acccso a la iicrra (cn cspuno, runccs c ngcs)
5. Fural rocriy ia sysicns in Ccniral and Easicrn Euroc (cn ngcs)
En los siguicnics siiios Wcl ucdc cnconirarsc nas infornacion rcfcrcnic a los Esiudios
solrc icncncia dc la iicrra, asi cono solrc la lalor dc la FAO cn csic cano.
Inglcs Iii.//www.fao.org/sd/LTdircci/lisiudics_cn.Iin
Franccs Iii.//www.fao.org/sd/LTdircci/lisiudics_fr.Iin
Esanol Iii.//www.fao.org/sd/LTdircci/lisiudics_cs.Iin
Le rIe de Ia FAO dans Ia rIorme agraIre
/a te||e, |a o|oo||ete et |'att||o0t|on de d|o|ts de o|oo||ete sont deo0|s to0|o0|s a0 cent|e
des q0est|ons de deve|oooement oo||t|q0e, econom|q0e et soc|a| et || en ||a de mme
oendant |ongtemos enco|e. /'a|t|c|e |et|ace |'||sto||q0e de |a |efo|me ag|a||e deo0|s 1945
et eva|0e |e ||e de |a FAO dans ce doma|ne, en mettant |'accent s0| |a oe||ode q0| a s0|v|
|a CMRADR (Confe|ence mond|a|e s0| |a |efo|me ag|a||e et |e deve|oooement |0|a|I de
1979. /| oa|t d0 conceot de |efo|me ag|a||e, te| q0'enonce dans |es o||nc|oa|es |nstances de
|a FAO, oo0| o|ocede| cette ana|yse et cette eva|0at|on. /| |dent|he q0e|q0es-0nes des
|eons t||ees de |'exoe||ence et |es0me |a s|t0at|on act0e||e en mat|e|e de |efo|me ag|a||e,
a|ns| q0e ses |nc|dences s0| |es dehs a0xq0e|s |a FAO se|a conf|ontee |'aven|| dans ce
doma|ne.
La FAO en eI mbIto de Ia reIorma agrarIa
/a t|e||a, s0 ooses|n y |a conces|n de de|ec|os de o|oo|edad son, desde |a ant|g0edad,
c0est|ones f0ndamenta|es oa|a e| desa||o||o oo||t|co, econm|co y soc|a|, y |o seg0||an
s|endo en e| f0t0|o. En este a|t|c0|o se exam|nan |as |efo|mas ag|a||as ||evadas a caoo
desde 1945 y se eva|0a |a f0nc|n de |a FAO en esta esfe|a, cent|ando |a atenc|n en
e| oe||odo ooste||o| a |a Confe|enc|a M0nd|a| soo|e Refo|ma Ag|a||a y Desa||o||o R0|a|
(CMRADRI ce|eo|ada en 1979. En e| a|t|c0|o se exoonen |os conceotos |e|at|vos a |a
|efo|ma ag|a||a, ta| como se |an fo|m0|ado en |os o||nc|oa|es fo|os de |a FAO, a modo
de contexto oa|a este examen y eva|0ac|n. Se destacan a|g0nas de |as enseanzas
f0ndamenta|es ext|a|das de esas exoe||enc|as y se |es0me |a s|t0ac|n act0a| de |a |efo|ma
ag|a||a, |0nto con s0s |eoe|c0s|ones oa|a |os |etos con q0e se enf|enta|a |a FAO en s0 |aoo|
f0t0|a en este amo|to.
FAO In agrarIan reIorm
1
M. Cox, P. Munro-Faure, P. Math|eu, A. Herrera, D. Pa|mer and P. Groppo
Maximiliano Cox is Director, Paul Munro-Faure is Chief, Land Tenure Service
and P. Mathieu, A. Herrera, D. Palmer and P. Groppo
are offcers in the FAO Rural Development Division
/and and owne|s||o and t|e a||ocat|on of o|ooe|ty ||g|ts |ave oeen cent|a| |ss0es |n
oo||t|ca|, econom|c and soc|a| deve|ooment s|nce ant|q0|ty. 7|ey w||| cont|n0e to oe so.
7||s a|t|c|e |ev|ews ag|a||an |efo|m s|nce 1945 and assesses t|e |o|e of FAO |n t||s a|ea,
concent|at|ng on t|e oe||od s|nce t|e Wo||d Confe|ence on Ag|a||an Refo|m and R0|a|
Deve|ooment (WCARRDI meet|ng of 1979. 7|e a|t|c|e sets o0t t|e conceots of ag|a||an
|efo|m, as stated |n ma|o| FAO fo|a, as t|e context fo| t||s |ev|ew and assessment. /t
|dent|hes some of t|e |ey |essons |ea|ned f|om t|ese exoe||ences and s0mma||zes t|e
o|esent scena||o fo| ag|a||an |efo|m toget|e| w|t| |ts |mo||cat|ons fo| t|e c|a||enges faced
oy FAO |n |ts f0t0|e wo|| |n t||s a|ea.
/N7RODUC7/ON
TIc issuc of acccss io land Ias rc-cncrgcd
forccfully in rcccni ycars owing io iIc
crsisicncc of crvasivc incquiiics in land
disiriluiion. TIc nisusc of land rcsuliing
fron iIcsc incquiiics Ias aggravaicd
cnvironncnial rollcns wIcrc rural
IouscIolds Iavc rcsiricicd acccss io ii. TIc
nci conscqucncc Ias lccn iIc widcsrcad
crsisicncc of rural ovcriy. TIc inoriancc
of gcncraiing lcgal francworls, insiiiuiions
and rogranncs iIai ronoic fair acccss
io land, in ariicular for iIosc nosi
disadvaniagcd sucI as woncn, indigcnous
and dislaccd colc, lics in iIc faci iIcy
will rovidc iIc lcncfis of a norc jusi
social siruciurc, iIcrcly rcducing iIc
ossililiiy of violcni conicis. FuriIcrnorc,
iIcy will also Icl ronoic long-icrn
susiainallc ccononic dcvcloncni.
TIis acr rcvicws agrarian rcforn
sincc 1945 and asscsscs FAO's rolc in iIis
arca, ariicularly sincc iIc 1979 World
Confcrcncc on Agrarian Fcforn and Fural
Dcvcloncni (WCAFFD}.
BAS/C CONCEP7S
Agrarian rcforn consiiiuics a najor cIangc
in iIc owncrsIi siruciurc of agriculiural
land. In 1969, iIc Sccial Conniiicc on
Agrarian Fcforn, aoinicd ly iIc Dirccior
Ccncral of FAO, dcfncd iIc concci of
agrarian rcforn as all asccis of iIc
rogrcss of rural insiiiuiions and covcring
nainly cIangcs in. icnurc, roduciion and
suoriing scrvicc" (FAO, 2003}.
TIc adoiion of a roccss of agrarian
rcforn or land rcforn (iIc icrns arc uscd
inicrcIangcally} Ias usually lccn jusiifcd
ly onc or norc of iIc following rcasons.
rcscncc of IigIly uncqual disiriluiion
of land asscis;
largc iracis of land wiiI low
farning inicnsiiy;
cloiiaiivc lalour rclaiions on
largc csiaics;
1
TIis ariiclc Ias lccn a joini cffori of iIc Land Tcnurc
Scrvicc of iIc Fural Dcvcloncni Division of FAO, lcd ly iis
Dirccior. TIc coniriluiion ly H. Mcliczcl io iIc iniiial inuis
for iIis docuncni is graicfully aclnowlcdgcd.
cicnsivc landlcssncss and/or vcry snall
unccononic uniis;
cicnsivc land conicis (squaiiing, land
invasions, cic.};
collasc of largc siaic, collcciivc and
coocraiivc farns, and dcnands for
rivaiizaiion and/or rcsiiiuiion of land;
cicnsivc rural ovcriy.
In nosi cascs, scvcral sucI rcasons
Iavc forncd iIc jusiifcaiion for agrarian
rcforn. TIis accounis for iis conlciiy,
largc scalc and inlcncniaiion rollcns.
Howcvcr, iIc roccss is csscniially oliiical.
Iis conlciiy as a roccss, and iis vcry
signifcani roduciivc, ccononic and
social conscqucnccs, crcaic considcrallc
cIallcngcs in iis inlcncniaiion.
/AND REFORM S/NCE 1945
F|om t|e Second Wo||d Wa| to t|e 1980s
TIis criod, iIc ricIcsi in icrns of scalc
of roccss and divcrsiiy of ccricncc
and aroacI, found land rcforns lcing
rooscd rincially on iIc grounds of
cquiiy and cffcicncy. TIcy favourcd iIc
lrcal-u of largc landIoldings, wIicI wcrc
oficn ocraiing in an alscnicc-roricior
and/or fcudalisiic nanncr. TIcsc rcforns
also iool lacc as a ari of a sirong call
for grcaicr social and oliiical dcnocracy.
WIilc iIc ains, acc and scalc of agrarian
rcforns in iIis criod diffcrcd, iIcir
succcss was rclaicd closcly io iIc sircngiI
of iIc govcrnncni's oliiical conniincni.
Succcss also dccndcd on iIc iyc of
rcforn ncasurcs inlcncnicd, including
iIc lcvcl of assisiancc rovidcd aficr iIc
icnurc cIangc, iIc conniincni and
iargciing of funds, and iIc insiiiuiional and
lcgal sci-u. All iIc rcforns inlcncnicd
during iIis criod wcrc siaic-lcd. TIis
criod, ariicularly iIc 1950s and 1960s,
was onc of considcrallc, and in sonc cascs
dranaiic, rogrcss in iIc rcdisiriluiion
of rocriy rigIis. Ii gcncraicd nany of
iIc lcssons iIai arc sunnarizcd in iIc
laiicr ari of iIis acr. Two nain iycs
of rcforn wcrc inlcncnicd in iIis criod.
(i} iIc iransfornaiion of icnanis inio
owncrs; and (ii} iIc cnding of fcudalisn in
iIc counirysidc.
Irom 1enon1s 1o ouners
A nunlcr of rcforns aincd io iransfcr
rocriy fron alscnicc and rcniicr rocriy
owncrs io iIc iillcrs, and io ronoic snall,
fanily farns. Anong iIc rcforns gcncrally
considcrcd nosi succcssful undcr iIis
aroacI wcrc iIosc in Jaan, iIc Fcullic
of Korca, and Taiwan Provincc of CIina.
Tcnanis rcccivcd full owncrsIi rigIis for
iIc Ioldings iIcy Iad culiivaicd rcviously
wIilc landowncrs rcccivcd concnsaiion
in casI and londs. TIcsc so-callcd land
io iIc iillcr" rcforns wcrc undcrialcn io
fosicr nodcrnizaiion and a lciicr sIaring
of iIc lcncfis of ccononic rogrcss. TIcy
wcrc ari of a gcncral dcvcloncni siraicgy
iIai gavc agriculiurc a najor rolc, and iIcy
rcsulicd fron iIc sirong oliiical will of
nosily auiIoriiarian govcrnncnis.
TIcsc rcforns, wIcrc iIc lcncfciarics
wcrc forncr icnanis, wcrc norc cffcciivc
and gcncraicd quiclcr and norc osiiivc
rcsulis iIan iIosc ronoiing farn worlcrs
io owncr ocraior siaius. TIcy nccdcd io
cIangc only iIc siruciurc of land owncrsIi
ly iransforning icnanis inio owncrs,
and iIcy could rcly on iIc nanagcrial
ccricncc of iIcsc forncr icnanis. On iIc
oiIcr Iand, iIc rcsiruciuring of laiifundia
and/or laniaiions involving iIc ronoiion
of forncr farn worlcrs inio snall fanily
farncrs ncccssiiaicd caaciiy luilding
in nanagcncni slills io lc cffcciivc.
In gcncral, sucI rcforns also rcquircd
invcsincnis including iIc oficn conlc
and cosily suldivision of lands, and iIc
rovision of ncw infrasiruciurc, sucI as
rural roads, irrigaiion, and nanagcrial and
iccInical caaciiy luilding.
nd1ng ]eudo11sm 1n 1e ooun1rgs1de
TIc rcforns iIai followcd, wIilc
nainiaining iIc original goals of cffcicncy
and cquiiy, wcrc also ncani io cnd iIc
fcudalisiic siruciurcs iIcn rcvailing in
iIc counirysidc. TIc ain was io nodcrnizc
and dcnocraiizc iIc social siruciurcs of
sociciy. SucI addiiional goals wcrc rcscni
in a nunlcr of oiIcr counirics including
Egyi (1952} and Dolivia (1953}. In 1960,
iIc Punia dcl Esic Dcclaraiion sci iIc
siagc for nany Laiin Ancrican counirics
io cnaci rcforn laws. TIcsc aincd ai
lrcaling iIc laiifundio-ninifundio aiicrn
and inicgraiing iIc casaniry inio nodcrn
agriculiurc on iIc grounds of cffcicncy,
cquiiy and grcaicr dcnocraiic ariiciaiion
in sociciy. In Dolivia, Drazil, CIilc,
Colonlia and Vcnczucla, iIcy wcrc aincd
originally ai ronoiing snall fanily farns
as iIc fnal agrarian siruciurc aficr iIc
rcforn. OiIcr rcforns followcd iIc socialisi
aiicrn of land icnurc and novcd gcncrally
iowards iIc crcaiion of collcciivc and
roduciion coocraiivc farns, wIcrc all or
ari of iIc land lclongcd io iIc siaic. TIis
nodcl was inlcncnicd io various cicnis
in Easicrn Euroc (c.g. Dulgaria, Hungary
and Fonania}, Asia (c.g. iIc Dcnocraiic
Pcolc's Fcullic of Korca, iIc Lao Pcolc's
Dcnocraiic Fcullic and Vici Nan}, Africa
(c.g. Algcria, EiIioia and Mozanliquc},
and Laiin Ancrica (c.g. Cula, Mcico and
Nicaragua}.
Fadical sIifis in govcrnncni in sonc
counirics, ariicularly in Laiin Ancrica,
rcsulicd in alrui cIangcs in iIc aiIs of
rcforn. For canlc, in iIc 1960s, CIilc
cnlarlcd on a rcforn io allow worlcrs io
lcconc iIc owncrs of land iIcy culiivaicd.
TIc lcncfciarics of forncr laiifundia wcrc
organizcd inio sciilcncni grous, wIicI
clccicd nanagcncni conniiiccs. TIc
original lan was io dividc iIc land aficr
iIrcc io fvc ycars and iransfcr owncrsIi
io iIosc wIo Iad rovcd iIcnsclvcs during
iIis iransiiion criod, or clsc rciain a
coocraiivc forn, dccnding on iIc frcc
will of iIc ncnlcrs. Howcvcr, in 1970,
iIc inconing govcrnncni lci coocraiivc
farns undcr casani conniiiccs lcyond
iIc iransiiion criod and crcaicd scvcral
siaic farns on ncwly croriaicd lands.
Following iIc violcni cIangc in govcrnncni
in 1973, iIc coocraiivcs wcrc dissolvcd
in favour of rivaic owncrsIi, and
siaic assisiancc was disconiinucd or
rcsiricicd scvcrcly.
Scvcral African counirics wiiI no acuic
rollcns of land scarciiy or conccniraiion
of land owncrsIi, c.g. Cic d'Ivoirc,
Mali, Scncgal and Zairc (now iIc
Dcnocraiic Fcullic of iIc Congo}, asscd
naiional land rcgulaiions iIai dcclarcd
land io lc iIc rocriy of iIc naiion and
iIai ii was io lc nanagcd ly iIc siaic.
Cusionary uscrs rciaincd lcgiiinaic long-
icrn and inIcriiallc usc rigIis rccognizcd
ly iIc siaic. Scncgal's Loi sur lc donainc
naiional" (1964} is an inicrcsiing canlc.
In iIc rural arcas, zoncs dc icrroirs", ii
givcs clccicd rural councils iIc rigIi io
allocaic lois of land io colc and grous
wIo will invcsi in and dcvclo iIcsc lands.
Ai iIc sanc iinc, cusionary long-icrn
usc rigIis arc rccognizcd for as long as
iIc iradiiional owncrs and iIcir fanilics
culiivaic iIc land. TIus, iIis law Ias
allowcd a snooiI adaiaiion of cusionary
rigIis io ncw conicis, ai iIc sanc iinc
roviding sialiliiy, cililiiy and sonc
inccniivcs io invcsi, in iIc alscncc of
rivaic rocriy and land narlcis.
7|e yea|s s|nce t|e WCARRD
In iIc dccadc following iIc WCAFFD,
agrarian rcforns coniinucd, lui ai a
nucI rcduccd acc. Onc rcason for iIis
was iIc downsircan inaci of Siruciural
Adjusincni Progranncs. Counirics iIai
could lcncfi fron agrarian rcforn wcrc
oficn consiraincd ly dcli lurdcns, ludgci
dcfciis and iIc conscqucni rcduciion
in ullic scnding. Ai iIc sanc iinc,
iIc cncrging WasIingion Conscnsus
cnIasizcd iIc rolc of iIc narlci in
allocaiing land io iIc nosi allc roduccrs.
TIis criod also saw incrcasing rivaiizaiion
of agro-indusirial, narlciing, cicnsion,
lanling and arasiaial cnicrriscs iIai Iad
rovidcd scrviccs, sonciincs sulsidizcd,
io farncrs. Liiilc was donc io gcncraic
sulsiiiuics for iIcsc siaic scrviccs. For
canlc, rcforns in forcign iradc rcgincs
and iIc rcnoval of ricc conirols rovidcd
inccniivcs for agriculiural coris, an
ooriuniiy iIai was uscd nosily ly iIc
conncrcial farncrs iIai survivcd iIc
rcforn criod. Fcforn lcncfciarics icndcd
io Iavc liniicd acccss io iIc assisiancc
nccdcd in ordcr for iIcn io ialc advaniagc
of iIc ncw ooriuniiics.
TIc acc of agrarian rcforn in forncr
Table 1
FAO cont||o0t|ons f|om |ts fo0ndat|on 0nt|| t|e WCARRD
Quebec Conference:
FAO foundation
The Conference recognized land reform may be
necessary to remove impediments to economic
and social progress resulting from inadequate
system of land tenure".
1945 Quebec, Canada
FAO Conference Agreed on importance of land reform to fulfl FAO
general objectives.
1951 Rome, ltaly
Expanded Technical Assistance
Programme (Resolution No.
8/1951j
Created regional centres on land problems
aimed at: organization of conferences, training,
demonstration projects and collaboration with
national and international organizations.
Latin America Regional Centre,
Campinas, Brazil
Asian Centre, Bangkok, Thailand
Near East Centre, Salahuddin, lraq
Working Group Examined methods for consolidation of
fragmented land on a low-cost basis.
1953 Rome, ltaly
ln-depth comparative study on
land tenure regimes
Objective: analyse land tenure systems,
relationships between agrarian reform and rural
development, and propose set of indicators
for monitoring and evaluating agrarian reform
processes.
1962-63 Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador,
Guatemala and Peru
World Conference on Land
Reform, convened by FAO, UN
and the lnternational Labour
Organization
Review development and improvement on land
reform.
1966 Rome, ltaly
WCARRD Conference approved a Declaration of Principles
and Plan of Action to promote agrarian reform
programmes in member countries.
1979 Rome, ltaly
socialisi counirics quiclcncd following iIc
fall of iIc Dcrlin Wall in 1989. As iIcsc
counirics cnlarlcd on iIcir iransiiion
io narlci-oricnicd dcnocracics, iIcy
rcforncd iIcir icnurc arrangcncnis
iIrougI dccollcciivizaiion and rivaiizaiion.
In sonc counirics, collcciivizcd lands wcrc
rcsiiiuicd io iIcir forncr owncrs (c.g. in
Dulgaria, Esionia, Laivia, LiiIuania and
Fonania}. In oiIcrs, iIcy wcrc disiriluicd
io worlcrs in iIc forn of owncrsIi
sIarcs (c.g. in iIc Fussian Fcdcraiion
and Ulrainc}, or disiriluicd in individual
farns (c.g. in Allania, Arncnia, Ccorgia
and iIc Fcullic of Moldova}. Many siaic
farns wcrc rivaiizcd, sold or lcascd (c.g.
in iIc CzccI Fcullic, Hungary, Poland
and Slovalia}. Away fron Euroc and
iIc counirics of iIc forncr Sovici Union,
iIc cnIasis iurncd away fron iIc
croriaiion of csiaics io iIc disnaniling
of coocraiivcs and collcciivcs and iIc
allocaiion of rivaic rigIis. TIcsc rigIis
wcrc allocaicd ciiIcr as full rivaic rocriy
(in sonc Laiin Ancrican counirics} or wiiI
iIc owncrsIi rcnaining wiiI iIc siaic lui
wiiI incrcasingly sccurc rivaic usc rigIis
(c.g. in CIina, Mozanliquc and Vici Nan}.
Coulcd wiiI iIc rcalizaiion in scvcral
souiIcrn African counirics of iIc lilcly
oliiical and social cffccis of IigIly
slcwcd icnurc siruciurcs rcnaining fron
colonial iincs, and iIc coniinuaiion and
rcviializaiion of rcforn issucs in sonc
counirics (noially in iIc PIiliincs and
Drazil}, iIcsc dcvcloncnis Iavc rciurncd
iIc suljcci of land rcforn io iIc ullic
arcna in rcccni ycars. TIis is rcccicd
in iIc Vaiican docuncni Touurds u
Icttcr dstrIuton o und. TIc cIucngc
o ugrurun rcorm (Poniifcal Council
for Jusiicc and Pcacc, 1997}. Howcvcr,
iIis rcncwcd inicrcsi in land rcforn Ias
gcncrally lcd io inicrvcniions iIai Iavc
iransccndcd iradiiional rcdisiriluiivc
land rcforns. TIcsc ncw inicrvcniions
Iavc focuscd on cnsuring acccss via
gradual ncasurcs raiIcr iIan onc-off
nassivc rcdisiriluiions. TIcy Iavc laccd
grcaicr cnIasis on ncw forns of acccss
sucI as connuniiy iiiling, inirafanily
and iniraconnuniiy land iransfcrs, and
rcgulaicd land narlcis. TIcy Iavc also
cliciily sougIi grcaicr conlcncniariiy
lciwccn land inicrvcniions and suoriivc
ncasurcs in iIc fcld of rural dcvcloncni.
An canlc of iIis ncw iyc of
inicrvcniion is iIai rooscd ly iIc
World Danl. In linc wiiI iIc incrcasing
cnIasis on iIc rolc of narlcis, iIc World
Danl Ias launcIcd narlci-assisicd
land rcforn" aroacIcs. Undcr iIcsc,
lcncfciarics oliain crcdii and/or granis
for iIc urcIasc of suiiallc land, and
ncgoiiaic dirccily wiiI iIc scllcrs. Marlci-
assisicd land rcforns Iavc lccn criiicizcd
lccausc of iIcir scculaiivc cffcci on land
narlcis in sonc arcas wIcrc iIcy Iavc
lccn inlcncnicd. WIilc conirovcrsy
surrounds iIc aroriaicncss of iIc
diffcrcni nccIanisns for iransfcrring land
fron largc landowncrs io iIc landlcss and
land oor, iIcrc is lroad conscnsus iIai
agrarian rcforn lays an inoriani rolc in
rural dcvcloncni wIcrc land conccniraiion
is IigI.
TIc ronoiion of rivaic rigIis,
wIciIcr usc rigIis or full owncrsIi, Ias
cnIasizcd iIc roIe oI tenure securIty in
rcccni agrarian rcforns. Crcaicr aiicniion
is now aid io land adninisiraiion,
csccially land rcgisiraiion and cadasirc
sysicns; iIc ains arc io rovidc iIc
sccuriiy nccdcd io siinulaic long-icrn
rivaic invcsincni and io faciliiaic iIc
dcvcloncni of land narlcis.
Ncw issucs in currcni agrarian rcforn
cfforis iIai did noi cncrgc as rioriiary in
carlicr ccricnccs arc.
gcndcr;
indigcnous grous and ninoriiics;
iIc cnvironncni;
iIc ariiciaiion of civil sociciy;
dcccniralizaiion of ullic scrviccs.
FAO CON7R/BU7/ONS 7O AGRAR/AN
REFORM
F|om t|e Second Wo||d Wa| to t|e
WCARRD
TIc inoriancc of agrarian rcforn was
rccognizcd carly in FAO's cisicncc (scc
Tallc 1}. TIc 1945 FAO Confcrcncc
noicd iIai rccoursc io land rcforn nay
lc ncccssary io rcnovc incdincnis io
ccononic and social rogrcss rcsuliing fron
an inadcquaic sysicn of land icnurc." TIc
1951 Confcrcncc agrccd iIai iIc rcforn
of agrarian siruciurcs was inoriani for
FAO io considcr wIilc cndcavouring io
fulfl iis gcncral ains. TIc Confcrcncc
sircsscd iIai iIc inrovcncni of agrarian
siruciurcs was noi only csscniial io
ccononic rogrcss, lui would coniriluic io
Iunan frccdon, digniiy and conscqucnily
would sccurc social sialiliiy and furiIcr
caccful dcnocraiic dcvcloncni." Early
ccricnccs cnIasizcd iIc nccd io go
lcyond land rcdisiriluiion. TIc 1966 World
Land Fcforn Confcrcncc convcncd ly
FAO rccognizcd iIc rovision of suori
scrviccs as csscniial for iIc succcss of
any land icnurc rcforn." In 1969, iIc
Sccial Conniiicc on Agrarian Fcforn,
aoinicd ly iIc Dirccior-Ccncral of FAO,
lroadcncd iIc concci of agrarian rcforn io
cnlracc all asccis of iIc rogrcss of rural
insiiiuiions and covcring nainly cIangcs
in. icnurc, roduciion and suoriing
scrvicc". TIis concci includcd ncasurcs io
inrovc acccss io land iIrougI sciilcncni
and lcasing arrangcncnis.
TIrougIoui iIis criod, FAO laycd a
lcy rolc in csiallisIing fora and in-dciI
siudics of iIc roduciivc and cquiiy cffccis
of iIc laiifundia-ninifundia conlc
iIai laccd agrarian rcforn IigI on iIc
dcvcloncni agcnda. In iIc carly 1960s,
coinciding wiiI iIc launcI of iIc Alliancc
for Progrcss, scvcral siudics conducicd ly
FAO in arincrsIi wiiI iIc Organizaiion
of Ancrican Siaics, rovidcd iIc iccInical
suori for iIc lanncd roccsscs in
Laiin Ancrica.
AnoiIcr lcy rolc of FAO was in roviding
iccInical assisiancc. TIc Eandcd
TccInical Assisiancc Progrannc
(Fcsoluiion No. 8/1951} crcaicd
rcgional ccnircs io assisi in iraining
and dcnonsiraiion rojccis and io
faciliiaic collaloraiion wiiI naiional and
inicrnaiional organizaiions. In iIc 1960s
and 1970s, FAO csiallisIcd caaciiy
luilding insiiiuiions in scvcral Laiin
Ancrican counirics.
FAO also laycd a lcading rolc in
disscninaiing infornaiion and analysis
of agrarian rcforns and rclaicd suljccis
rincially. In 1963, ii csiallisIcd iIc
lullciin Lund Hcorm, Lund Scttcmcnt und
Coopcrutucs io rcacI ccris in iIc fcld
and suly infornaiion and ccricncc
availallc fron all aris of iIc world.
F|om t|e 1980s to t|e o|esent
In 1979, iIc WCAFFD adoicd a
Dcclaraiion of Princilcs and a Progrannc
of Aciion iIai considcrcd oliiical will fron
ncnlcr counirics a fundancnial condiiion
for succcssful agrarian rcforn. Morcovcr,
ii siaicd iIai iIc iransfornaiion of rural
lifc sIould lc sougIi iIrougI olicics for
aiiaining growiI wiiI cquiiy, rcdisiriluiion
of ccononic and oliiical owcr, and
colc's ariiciaiion."
In inlcncniing iIc WCAFFD Plan
of Aciion, FAO suoricd 25 IigI-lcvcl
inicragcncy olicy fornulaiion nissions
on agrarian rcforn and rural dcvcloncni
io assisi ncnlcr naiions rcvicw olicics
and idcniify rojccis. TccInical assisiancc
was also rovidcd io Mcnlcr Naiions in
inlcncniing agrarian rcforn rojccis (c.g.
in Drazil, CIilc, Colonlia and Ecuador}.
TIrougI iIc WCAFFD, a scrics of
ncciings, consuliaiions and round iallcs
wcrc Icld in all rcgions. FAO rcarcd
four rogrcss rcoris on iIc alicaiion
of iIc WCAFFD Plan of Aciion ly Mcnlcr
Naiions. In 1981, iIc Pcasani CIaricr
dcfncd iIc rincilcs and rogrannc of
aciion aining io inlcncni iIc oljcciivcs
agrccd uon ly iIc WCAFFD.
FAO Ias rcsondcd in a nunlcr of
ways io iIc incrcasing inoriancc givcn
io fanily farns as a rcsuli of rivaiizaiion
roccsscs and iIc failurc of collcciivc
agrarian scIcncs. SucI farns rovidc
iIc nosi cffcciivc way of cnIancing
roduciiviiy and inroving iIc cililiiy
and caaciiy of farncrs io rcsond io
ncw narlci ooriuniiics. TccInical
assisiancc in agrarian rcforn rojccis Ias
focuscd on iIc dcvcloncni of susiainallc
fanily farns. In Drazil, FAO Ias a long-
icrn rcscncc iIrougI unilaicral irusi
fund rojccis. TIcsc siaricd in 1993 and
rovidc suori io agrarian rcforns and iIc
dcvcloncni of fanily farning siraicgics.
FAO Ias also rovidcd long-icrn suori
for iIc agrarian rcforns in iIc PIiliincs
iIrougI a scrics of irusi fund rojccis iIai
lcgan in iIc 1980s. TIcsc rojccis Iavc
assisicd lcncfciarics in agrarian rcforn
connuniiics in iIcir ncgoiiaiions for
infrasiruciurc and oiIcr nccds iIrougI a
connuniiy-sccifc nccds asscssncni. TIcy
Iavc also Iclcd io sircngiIcn agrilusincss
linlagcs and faciliiaic acccss io crcdii.
TIrougIoui iIis criod, FAO Ias
organizcd ncciings, rcarcd ullicaiions
and guidclincs, and rovidcd iccInical
assisiancc io addrcss iIc crucial nccd
io inrovc acccss io land and icnurc
sccuriiy (scc Tallc 2}. Eanlcs includc iIc
fornulaiion and alicaiion of aroriaic
lcgal francworls and land adninisiraiion
scrviccs, guidclincs for gcndcr inclusion in
acccss io land and for cffcciivc funciioning
of land narlcis, iIc rccogniiion of
cusionary land rigIis iIrougI fornal laws,
iIc analysis of cncrging aroacIcs io
acccss io land for fanily farning iIrougI
narlci nccIanisns (ly urcIasc or
lcasing}, iIc analysis of agrarian land
icnurc sysicns, and iIc claloraiion of
nciIods for ariiciaiory rcsoluiion of
conicis ovcr land.
/ESSONS /EARNED ON AGRAR/AN
REFORM
How s0ccessf0| |as t|e o|ocess oeen?
Ii is diffculi io dcfnc succcss or failurc
of an agrarian rcforn. Agrarian rcforn is
a nuliioljcciivc roccss involving ciIical,
oliiical, social, ccononic and roduciivc
oljcciivcs anong oiIcrs. SucI a conlc
roccss ncccssiiaics conlc cvaluaiion.
A lalancc of oljcciivcs is ncccssary in ordcr
io lc allc io acIicvc ai lcasi sonc of iIc
rcquircd najor rcsulis.
Laiin Ancrica rovidcs a fcriilc fcld for
drawing lcssons fron agrarian rcforns.
WIilc iIc covcragc and scoc Iavc varicd
considcrally fron couniry io couniry, iIc
Table 2
FAO cont||o0t|ons s|nce t|e WCARRD
WCARRD P|an of Act|on:
Monitoring and evaluation of
agrarian reform
FAO prepared four progress reports on progress
by member countries in the application of the
Plan of Action.
1983,
1987,
1991,
1993
Through data collection in member
countries
High-level interagency policy
formulation missions on agrarian
reform and rural development
Objectives: review agrarian reform and
rural development policies with concerned
governments; and identify projects for meeting
requirements for assistance in policy re-
orientation: 25 missions implemented.
1980-1993 Africa, Asia, Latin America, and
Central and Eastern European
member countries
Meetings, consultations and
round tables
Objective: follow up and analyse in-depth
identifed issues on follow-up to WCARRD and
land tenure improvement.
1979-1987 Africa, Asia, Latin America, and
Central and Eastern European
member countries
Normat|ve act|v|t|es:
Publications: general /and Refo|m, /and Sett|ement and Coooe|at|ves
bulletin (2 issues per yearj
FAO, Rome
Publications: specifc issues Land reform and land tenure
Land information systems and agricultural
restructuring
Cadastre and registration
Land regularization
Land markets
Land tenure and agrarian systems
Gender and land tenure
Population dynamics and land availability
Private-public sector cooperation in land tenure
Land taxation
Land confict management
Land rights and access to land
Multilingual thesaurus on land tenure
Land tenure and peri-urban agriculture
1993-2003 FAO, Rome
Meetings: specifc topics Privatization and land tenure in countries in
transition
Land markets in Latin America
Participation of private and public sector in land
tenure reform in Central and Eastern Europe
Agrarian systems diagnosis
Portuguese-speaking countries, and land tenure
and territorial planning
Land tenure database
Land tenure confict resolution in South Pacifc
and Latin America
Methodology of territorial planning and land
tenure
Traditional land tenure systems
Common property resources
People's participation
Women in development
Extension and training.
1987-2003 FAO, Rome; and member countries
in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and
Central and Eastern Europe
Land Tenure Database A specifc activity on building up a land tenure
database on FAO member countries
Since 1997 FAO, Rome
Techn|ca| ass|stance:
Projects Technical support through Land Tenure Service
projects on the issues of:
- land reform
- agrarian systems and family farming
- land regularization
- land cadastre and registration
- land taxation
- land markets
- land access
Since 1993 Latin America: Brazil, Colombia,
Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras,
Mexico, Nicaragua and venezuela
Asia: lndia, Sri Lanka and the
Philippines
Africa: Angola, Cte d'lvoire,
Mozambique, Namibia, South
Africa, Tunisia and Zimbabwe
Near East: Syrian Arab Republic
Central and Eastern Europe:
Azerbaijan and Georgia
cicni of iIc rcforns Ias lccn inrcssivc.
Fcforns in Dolivia and Cula croriaicd
aloui 80 crccni of iIc agriculiural
land; CIilc, Mcico, Nicaragua and Pcru
croriaicd aloui Ialf iIc agriculiural
land; and in Colonlia, iIc Doninican
Fcullic and Panana iIc arca croriaicd
rangcd fron onc-quaricr io onc-siiI. As
for lcncfciarics, iIc Dolivian and Culan
rcforns lcncficd aloui iIrcc-quaricrs of
iIc agriculiural IouscIolds, wIilc aloui
Ialf sucI IouscIolds wcrc lcncfciarics
in Mcico. In El Salvador, Nicaragua, Pcru
and Vcnczucla, aloui onc-iIird of iIc
agriculiural IouscIolds lcncficd.
TIc conlciiics cniailcd in siriling
a rocr lalancc lciwccn iIc various
oljcciivcs can lc ccnlifcd ly iIc various
aroacIcs followcd in CIilc. In iIis casc,
iIcy includcd ciIical, social, ccononic and
oliiical oljcciivcs. In iIc 1960s, a rocr
lalancc lciwccn roduciivc and iIc socio-
oliiical oljcciivcs was sirucl. TIc couniry
acIicvcd a sizcallc incrcasc in agriculiural
roduciion (iIc raic of roduciion growiI
doullcd iIc Iisiorical onc} ai iIc sanc iinc
iIai a sulsianiivc land rcdisiriluiion was
ialing lacc. TIc radical cIangcs lrougIi
aloui aficr 1970, wIcn socio-oliiical
oljcciivcs wcrc ronoicd ai iIc ccnsc
of ccononic oncs, rcsulicd in a najor
dcclinc in agriculiurc and food roduciion,
jcoardizing asi acIicvcncnis and lcading
io iIc rcvcrsal of iIc roccss in iIc laic
1970s. Convcrscly, wIcrc iIc roccss
conccniraics on roduciivc cffccis wiiIoui
duc aiicniion io a liascd icnurc siruciurc
and a narginalizcd najoriiy of rural
dwcllcrs, iIc sccds of iIc fuiurc dcsiruciion
of any roduciivc acIicvcncnis nay alrcady
lc sown.
TIc inlcncniaiion of agrarian rcforn
cncounicrs nany criiical consirainis.
HigI cosis, slow lurcaucracics and a lacl
of suori scrviccs lcad io inadcquaic
inlcncniaiion of rcforn laws. Landowning
classcs Iavc vcsicd inicrcsis and frcqucnily
cnjoy iIc oliiical and adninisiraiivc
conncciions io roicci iIcsc. Inadcquaic
cadasirc and land rcgisiraiion sysicns
rcsuli in dclays and IigI cosis. In nany
cascs, inadcquaic funding of iIc wIolc
rcforn aclagc is coulcd wiiI a lacl
of suori scrviccs and infrasiruciurc.
In ariicular, wIcrc dcaling wiiI forncr
farn lalourcrs, iIc wcal nanagcrial
caaciiics and ccricncc of lcncfciarics
osc a najor cIallcngc. As a rcsuli, noi all
lcncfciarics lcconc viallc cnircrcncurs
and sonc ncw owncrs nay lc forccd io scll
iIcir ncwly acquircd land lccausc of iIcir
inaliliiy io gcncraic susiainallc inconc
fron ii. For canlc, in CIilc in iIc 1970s,
iIc rcforns wcrc cIaracicrizcd ly low
nanagcrial aliliiics of iIc ncw farncrs.
Undcr iIc niliiary govcrnncni, land was
disiriluicd in individual lois, lui suori
scrviccs wcrc raciically disnanilcd and iIc
cnsuing radical nacroccononic cIangcs
causcd furiIcr conlicaiions io iIc rcforn
lcncfciarics, wiiI rcal inicrcsi raics
clinling io 60 crccni cr ycar. TIus, ly
iIc nid-1980s, sonc 50 crccni Iad sold
oui. In Drazil, ii is csiinaicd iIai norc iIan
60 crccni of lcncfciarics Iavc sold or
alandoncd iIcir rcforn arccls.
Techn|ca| ass|stance (Cont.I:
Technical assistance support
through projects with
other FAO units, and other
international agencies: World
Bank, the lnternational Fund
for Agricultural Development,
the European Union, the
Department for lnternational
Development (UKj and the
German Agency for Technical
Cooperation
On the issues of:
- land reform
- agrarian systems and family farming
- land regularization
- land cadastre and registration
- land taxation
- land markets
- land access
- land reform, population and gender
- on land rights of pastoral communities.
Since 1983 Latin America: Colombia, Ecuador,
Guatemala, Panama, Peru and
venezuela
Asia: China, lndia, Nepal, Sri
Lanka, the Philippines and
Thailand.
Africa: Cte d'lvoire, Ghana and
Namibia
Central and Eastern Europe:
Azerbaijan and Hungary
Central Asia and the Sahel
Table 2
FAO cont||o0t|ons s|nce t|e WCARRD (Cont.I
As ari of agrarian rcforns, govcrnncnis
Iavc oficn ronoicd iIc organizaiion
of iIc casaniry inio iradc unions and
coocraiivcs of various linds (c.g. roduccr,
narlciing and crcdii associaiions}. TIis
Ias lrougIi aloui a considcrallc dcgrcc of
inicgraiion of iIc casaniry inio iIc naiional
cconony, sociciy and oliiy. In oiIcr
cascs, iIc rcforns Iavc lcd io a rcduciion
in iIc sizc of Ioldings, wIicI in iurn Ias
coniriluicd io iIc cncrgcncc of an ovcrall
agrarian siruciurc iIai is norc dynanic and
rcsonsivc io narlci condiiions (c.g. CIilc,
CIina, iIc PIiliincs and Vici Nan}.
Onc of iIc najor gcncral acIicvcncnis
of iIc nosi succcssful rcforns Ias lccn
iIcir coniriluiion io iIc modernIzatIon
oI the agrIcuIture sector and Indeed oI
socIety at Iarge. Fcforns, and in sonc
cascs iIcir aficrnaiI, Iavc also cnallcd iIc
dcvcloncni of ncw dynanic aciors in iIc
ccononic, social and oliiical dcvcloncni
of iIc counirics involvcd. Mcdiun-sizcd,
dynanic conncrcial farncrs nay dcvclo
aficr iIc rcforns, as was iIc casc wiiI
iIc fruii coriing sccior in CIilc. Local
roccssors and oiIcr ncrcIanis Iavc
dcvclocd in rural arcas in Jaan, iIc
Fcullic of Korca, and Taiwan Provincc
of CIina.
Ma|n |essons
Lesson 1: Good gouernonoe ond 1e
ru1e o] 1ou oorre1o1e o1ose1g u11
1e suooess]u1 1mp1emen1o11on o]
1e prooess.
TIc rulc of law nccds io rcvail iIrougIoui
iIc roccss. Mcasurcs io rcducc iIc
inIcrcni insialiliiy and unccriainiy iIai
acconany rofound social cIangc sIould
lc cnacicd dccisivcly. Social nolilizaiion,
wIicI is ncccssary io nainiain iIc
noncniun and oliiical suori of sucI
cIangcs, sIould lc lci wiiIin raiional
liniis. TIis was acIicvcd in iIc 196470
CIilcan ccricncc (Annc 1}, as wcll as in
Mcico and iIc PIiliincs. Morcovcr, good
govcrnancc and cffcciivc siaic aaraius
arc rcquircd for succcssful inlcncniaiion.
To a largc cicni, iIc rcforns in Jaan, iIc
Fcullic of Korca, and Taiwan Provincc
of CIina wcrc succcssful lccausc of iIc
conjunciion of scvcral osiiivc faciors
(Annc 1}. Anong iIc nosi inoriani
of iIcsc wcrc oliiical will and good
govcrnancc (liniicd corruiion and rcni-
sccling lcIaviour in iIc inlcncniaiion of
iIc rcforns}.
Sinilarly, ii is csscniial io csiallisI
suiiallc insiiiuiions io rcsolvc land
conicis loiI during iIc rcforn criod and
aficrwards as iIc csiallisIcd judiciary oficn
lacls iIc caaciiy io dcal cffcciivcly wiiI
iIcsc issucs.
Lesson 2: Non-b1osed mooroeoonom1o
po11o1es ore oruo1o1 1o 1e
suooess]u1 1mp1emen1o11on o] on
ogror1on re]orm.
As wiiI any roccss rcquiring growiI in
agriculiurc, iIc ovcrall nacroccononic
condiiions, csccially iIosc affcciing
inicrcsi and ccIangc raics, and including
ronoiional olicics for agriculiural
roduciion, arc csscniial for iIc succcss
of iIc agrarian rcforn roccss. In nany
counirics, nacroolicics iIai discrininaicd
inliciily or cliciily againsi agriculiurc
in icrns of riccs, iradc and crcdii olicics
wcrc insiruncnial in counicraciing
iIc iniiial osiiivc rcsulis of agrarian
rcforn rogranncs.
Lesson 3: Iond red1s1r1bu11on needs 1o
be ooup1ed u11 1e prou1s1on o] suppor1
seru1oes ]or bene]o1or1es, 1no1ud1ng
1orge1ed oooess 1o oop11o1, seru1oes
ond morKe1s.
TIc najor rcdisiriluiivc rcforns in Laiin
Ancrica icndcd io Iavc an iniiial osiiivc
inaci. Howcvcr, a lacl of suori
scrviccs for lcncfciarics and unfavourallc
nacroccononic faciors sulscqucnily
Iancrcd iIc crfornancc of iIc rcforncd
sccior scvcrcly. TIc rovision of iIcsc
scrviccs is criiical, csccially wIcrc dcaling
wiiI lcncfciarics wiiI low cnircrcncurial
ccricncc. In Laiin Ancrica, iIcir
unavailaliliiy ncani iIc ariial rcvcrsal
of iIc roccss. WIcrc iIcsc scrviccs wcrc
rovidcd ly ccniralizcd siaic insiiiuiions,
iIcy wcrc oficn slow, lurcaucraiic and
unallc io rovidc csscniial fnancial,
iccInical, organizaiional and oiIcr
insiiiuiional suori.
Lesson 4: 3e preu1ous monoger1o1
eper1enoe o] ogror1on re]orm
bene]o1or1es 1s essen11o1.
TIc agrarian rcforns in Egyi, Jaan,
iIc Fcullic of Korca, Taiwan Provincc of
CIina and scvcral siaics in India cnallcd
icnanis io lcconc owncrs of iIc land
iIcy culiivaicd. In ari, iIcsc rcforns
wcrc succcssful lccausc lcsiowing
owncrsIi rigIis on forncr icnanis allowcd
iIc coniinucd usc of cisiing Iysical
infrasiruciurc, including road nciworl
and irrigaiion faciliiics, and insiiiuiional
infrasiruciurc, as rcviously cisiing inui
suly, crcdii and narlciing siruciurcs
wcrc noi disruicd. An addiiional
advaniagc was iIc availaliliiy of iraincd
Iunan rcsourccs. As forncr icnanis,
iIc lcncfciarics Iad rovcn caaciiy
io nanagc iIc farns iIcy rcccivcd.
Ooriuniiics for rcforns of iIis lind arc
no longcr signifcani as iIcy Iavc alrcady
lccn undcrialcn.
Lesson S: A ro11ono1 sgs1em o]
1nd1u1duo1 eoonom1o 1noen11ues 1n 1e
re]ormed seo1or 1s or111oo1.
Unclcar sysicns of rcwarding individual
roduciiviiy in iIc rcforncd sccior Iavc
rovcd danaging, as is rcccicd in iIc
oor rcsulis fron nosi ccricnccs
wiiI collcciivc farning. Convcrscly, iIc
iniroduciion of individual ccononic
inccniivcs can gcncraic a IigIly
dynanic rcsonsc. CIina iniroduccd
sucI nccIanisns undcr iIc IouscIold
rcsonsililiiy sysicn in 1978, wIicI
gavc farning fanilics usufruci rigIis
ovcr culiivaicd land. Ai iIc sanc iinc,
iIc organizaiional sysicn of iIc Pcolcs'
Connuncs, wIicI Iad rovcd io lc of low
cffcicncy, was alolisIcd. TIc rcsulis of iIc
rcforn Iavc lccn inrcssivc. Aficr 30 ycars
of siagnaiion, growiI in agriculiural ouiui
in iIc frsi Ialf of iIc 1980s accclcraicd
io a raic scvcral iincs iIc rcvious long-
icrn avcragc. Mosi of iIc incrcasc is
aiiriluicd io iIc sirong inccniivcs givcn ly
iIc rcforns io individual farncrs coulcd
wiiI iIc ariial lilcralizaiion of iIc roducc
narlci. TIc incrcascd inconc lcd io
invcsincnis in non-agriculiural aciiviiics,
iIc csiallisIncni of snall rural cnicrriscs
and iIc crcaiion of non-farn cnloyncni.
As a rcsuli of iIc ovcrall ccononic growiI
in rural arcas, iIc nunlcr of rural oor
rcoricdly fcll fron 260 nillion in 1978 io
89 nillion in 1984.
Vici Nan ccricnccd sinilar roduciiviiy
gains fron lrcaling u largc collcciivc
farns inio fanily uniis (Annc 1}. Laws
cnacicd in 1981 and 1987 aincd io inrovc
agriculiural roduciiviiy iIrougI incrcascd
inccniivcs for individual farncrs and
rccognizcd land-usc rigIis of individual
IouscIolds. TIcsc rcforns Iavc rcsulicd in
inrcssivc growiI in agriculiural ouiui,
iransforning Vici Nan fron a food-dcfcii
couniry inio a food-surlus onc. Ficc
roduciion Ias alnosi doullcd in icn ycars,
wIilc ai iIc sanc iinc iIcrc Ias lccn a
signifcani divcrsifcaiion inio indusirial/
conncrcial cros including rullcr, coffcc,
ica, coconui, fruiis and vcgciallcs.
Howcvcr, sonc iycs of agriculiural
aciiviiics, sucI as cicnsivc livcsiocl
roduciion or laniaiion-iyc cloiiaiions,
nay rcquirc largcr uniis. In iIcsc cascs,
sonc forn of collcciivc acccss io or usc
of land nay lc aroriaic. Howcvcr,
also in iIcsc cascs iIcrc is a nccd io sci
u nanagcrial and ccononic inccniivcs
siruciurcs iIai guaranicc individual
rcsonsililiiy wiiIin a collcciivc cloiiaiion
of naiural rcsourccs.
Lesson 6: Io1r oompenso11on pooKoges
]or 1ondouners (1.e. ]u11g oompenso11ng
]or re1nues1men1 ond prou1d1ng ]or some
reo1 11qu1d11g) reduoe 1e po1en11o1
nego11ue 1mpoo1s on eoonom1o grou1.
Payncnis for croriaicd land iIai arc
vicwcd as confscaiory can gcncraic violcni
rcaciions and will affcci roduciion and
iIc ovcrall cconony sulsianiially during
iIc iniiial Iascs of agrarian rcforn.
Howcvcr, wIcrc iIcrc arc wcll-csiallisIcd
and rclaiivcly fair rulcs for concnsaiion,
ouiconcs arc norc osiiivc. In CIilc,
iIc rcforns of iIc 1960s rovidcd casI
concnsaiion for inrovcncnis, iIus
cnalling invcsincni in agriculiurc io
incrcasc during iIis criod. TIc agrarian
rcforns in Jaan, iIc Fcullic of Korca,
and Taiwan Provincc of CIina concnsaicd
forncr landIoldcrs wiiI casI and
dcvcloncni londs, wIicI cncouragcd
invcsincni of iIc rocccds in indusiry.
No nassivc and cicnsivc agrarian rcforn
roccss Ias lccn undcrialcn ly aying
narlci valucs for land in casI. Hcncc,
ii is ncccssary io cIccl iIc cosis of land
urcIascs and sirilc a rocr lalancc
lciwccn iIc nccd io coniain iIcsc cosis and
iIai of roviding fair concnsaiion iIai will
noi discouragc invcsincni in agriculiurc or
clscwIcrc in iIc cconony.
Lesson ?: Soo1o1 oop11o1 ]ormo11on 1s
1mpor1on1, 1roug 1e por11o1po11on o]
1ooo1 oommun111es ond bene]o1or1es 1n
1oK1ng oon1ro1 o] 1e1r oun deue1opmen1.
TIc PIiliincs siaricd iis agrarian rcforns
in 1964 and local connuniiics Iavc laycd
an incrcasingly largc rolc as iIcsc rcforns
Iavc rogrcsscd. A lroad-lascd casani
lolly rcssurcd Congrcss and iIc Prcsidcni
io cnaci iIc ConrcIcnsivc Agrarian
Fcforn Progrannc in 1988. In iIc carly
1990s, iIc Dcarincni of Agrarian Fcforn
rccognizcd iIai cffcciivc allianccs wiiI
auiononous casani organizaiions wcrc
csscniial io iIc inlcncniaiion of agrarian
rcforn. Farncrs' grous arc now cngagcd
in faciliiaiing iIc rovision of suori
scrviccs io agrarian rcforn connuniiics.
WiiI iIc iccInical assisiancc of FAO,
iIcy Iavc rovidcd a succcssful nodcl
for connuniiy dcvcloncni, including
iIc caaciiy io ncgoiiaic for connuniiy
sccifc nccds, sucI as infrasiruciurc,
crcdii, cducaiion and oiIcr social scrviccs.
Local icans Iavc lccn guidcd io irain
lcncfciarics in nccds asscssncni and
iIc rcaraiion of dcvcloncni lans for
agrarian rcforn connuniiics (AFCs}. As a
rcsuli, norc iIan 1 500 AFCs wiiI aloui
200 000 lcncfciarics Iavc incrcascd
cro and livcsiocl roduciion, iniiiaicd
non-farn aciiviiics, csiallisIcd narlci
linlagcs wiiI agrilusincss cororaiions,
incrcascd iIcir inconc, and lcconc aciivc
sclf-rcliani connuniiics. TIis canlc
suoris iIc nccd for iIcsc roccsscs io
lc IigIly ariiciaiory, involving iIc local
connuniiics in iIcir own dcvcloncni.
Also inoriani in iIis casc is an inclusivc
crscciivc involving a icrriiorial raiIcr
iIan sccioral aroacI, conirary io iIai in
nosi agrarian rcforn roccsscs.
Lesson S: Appropr1o1e 1ond
odm1n1s1ro11on oopoo11g 1s oruo1o1 1o
1ond re]orm 1mp1emen1o11on.
Land adninisiraiion is a criiical iool for
cnalling iIc inlcncniaiion of agrarian
rcforns, ariicularly iIrougI land
survcying, iiiling and rcgisiraiion, lui also
iIrougI land-usc lanning, land valuaiion
and land iaaiion. Land iiiling is frcqucnily
a cosily roccss, lui ii gcncraics najor
ccononic advaniagcs ly sccuring land
rigIis and roviding invcsincni inccniivcs.
TIc nccd io givc duc aiicniion io iIc
inicrcsis of iIc oor and undcrrivilcgcd,
ariicularly woncn and indigcnous colcs,
Ias lccn rccognizcd as iIcy Iavc losi oui
in sonc iiiling rojccis. In linc wiiI gcncral
ircnds in dcccniralizaiion, a nunlcr of
counirics arc inlcncniing a dcccniralizcd
aroacI io land adninisiraiion iIai
cnowcrs local insiiiuiions io rcsond io
local nccds. WIilc lacing scrviccs closcr
io ciiizcns, iIcsc aroacIcs Iavc also
incrcascd iIc nccd for caaciiy luilding ai
local lcvcls in ordcr for iIcsc scrviccs io lc
rovidcd cffcciivcly.
MA/N CHA//ENGES FOR FAO'S FU7URE
WORK ON AGRAR/AN REFORM
Ii is widcly rccognizcd iIai oiinal
acccss io land rcnains a scrious issuc
in nosi dcvcloing counirics, frcqucnily
acconanicd ly IigI cffcicncy and wclfarc
cosis, cnvironncnial conscqucnccs and
closivc oliiical nanifcsiaiions. Land is
iyically nisallocaicd anong oicniial uscrs
and worlcd undcr inconlcic rocriy
or uscr rigIis iIai crcaic disinccniivcs io
cffcicni usc.
TIus, iIc call for agrarian rcforn
rcnains sirong ioday in ccriain aris of
iIc world. Slcwcd disiriluiion of land
rcsourccs, oulaiion rcssurcs, rcsourcc
dcgradaiion, violcni land conicis and
cicnsivc landlcssncss coniinuc io lring
land issucs io iIc aiicniion of oliiicians
and iIc ullic. Fcdisiriluiion of land fron
largc csiaics io snall fanily Ioldings Ias
nany oicniial advaniagcs. Ii nay rcducc
ovcriy and olarizaiion, oficn sourccs of
disconicni and roicsi, and coniriluic io
incrcasing roduciion iIrougI inrovcd
sicwardsIi and incrcascd invcsincni.
TIc incrcascd cnloyncni of fanily
ncnlcrs can Icl io slow nigraiion io
urlan ccnircs.
TIc agcnda of issucs io lc iacllcd Ias
grown considcrally as loiI iIc nunlcr
of counirics wIcrc land rclaiions arc
inoriani and iIc rangc of ioics Iavc
candcd. Howcvcr, iIc ncw cIallcngcs
arc diffcrcni fron iIosc of iIc asi. Major
issucs ioday arc.
TIc cicni io wIicI agrarian rcforn
nccds io lc nassivc or sclcciivc
in ccriain arcas or iycs of farns.
DcnograIic ircnds, iIc oliiical
clinaic and iIc roduciiviiy of
cisiing agriculiural siruciurcs arc
najor faciors in dcicrnining iIc nosi
aroriaic roccss.
Availaliliiy of fnancial rcsourccs for iIc
roccss. Ii is vcry cosily io inlcncni
agrarian rcforn on iIc lasis of narlci
riccs and casI ayncnis. Undcr
currcni glolal ccononic condiiions,
iIis is a najor rcsiriciion for a
nassivc roccss.
Ncw ircnds in nodcrn agrorural
dcvcloncni nccd io lc accounicd
for. TIcsc includc. iIc cocisicncc of
fanily farns wiiI cffcicni ncdiun-
sizcd conncrcial farns (c.g. in nany
African and Laiin Ancrican counirics};
ncw ooriuniiics for non-farn
cnloyncni; iIc ncw rolc of agro-
indusirial dcvcloncni including
sucrnarlcis wiiI, in nany counirics,
iIc incrcasing rolc of nonosonisiic
raciiccs ly iIcsc cIains; cnvironncnial
and gcndcr considcraiions; and iIc
inaci of conicis, naiural disasicrs and
andcnics, sucI as HIV-AIDS.
Land adninisiraiion is a najor
clcncni in any land rcforn roccss.
WiiIoui cffcciivc land laws and land
adninisiraiion agcncics, olicics and
siraicgics for agrarian rcforns rcnain a
dcad lciicr.
Dcccniralizcd and ariiciaiory
aroacIcs io land rcforn acar io
lc norc cffcciivc. WIilc coniinuing io
rccognizc iIc nccd for cffcciivc siaic
aciion, agrarian rcforns no longcr
ronoic iIc io-down, lurcaucraiic
nodcls iIai wcrc ocn io cvasion and
corruiion. Fcccni ccricnccs Iavc
sIown iIai dcccniralizcd aroacIcs
involving civil sociciy aciion arc norc
fcasillc. Civil sociciy organizaiions
(CSOs} incrcasc iIc largaining owcr
of colc and iIcir caaciiy for cffcciivc
advocacy, and can rcss succcssfully for
agrarian rcforn and faciliiaic suori
scrviccs. Morcovcr, wiiIoui a osiiivc
involvcncni of civil sociciy in iIc osi-
rcforn roccss, iIc socio-ccononic
susiainaliliiy of iIc roccss is ocn
io qucsiion.
In nany counirics, indigcnous and/or
locally rcsidcni connuniiics lacl sccurc
or clcarly dcfncd and rcsccicd icnurc
rigIis; iIc cIallcngc io csiallisI (lcing
sinuliancously lcgal and lcgiiinaic} and
faciliiaic ccononically raiional usc of
iIc land involvcd crsisis for iIc grou
and iIc individual.
Prollcns of cnvironncnial dcgradaiion
ai iIc froniicr cannoi lc undcrsiood
wiiIoui iaclling iIc issucs of
susiainallc rcsourcc usc and land
rigIis wiiIin iIc froniicr. TIis is iIc
rcason for FAO's cnIasis on a naiional
olicy dialoguc raiIcr iIan isolaicd ad
Ioc inicrvcniions.
Scvcral counirics Iavc a Iisiory
of conici, war, collcciivizaiion or
croriaiion. As a rcsuli, nuliilc
ovcrlaing clains io iIc sanc loi/
icrriiory cisi and iIcsc rcvcni sccuriiy
of icnurc and long-icrn invcsincni.
TIc clininaiion of iIcsc sourccs of
and adjudicaiion of land conicis.
TIc rovision of caaciiy luilding
iIrougI cducaiion and iraining for land
adninisiraiion, dcccniralizcd icrriiorial
lanning, and iIc ronoiion of sccial
rogranncs of acccss io land for iargci
grous including iIc oor, woncn and
indigcnous colcs, arc also csscniial.
In aris of Africa and iIc Ncar Easi,
iIc cansion of agriculiurc inio
drylands and land rcforns focusing
solcly on agriculiural roduccrs Iavc
laccd asioral land rigIis (acccss and
owncrsIi} undcr iIrcai. TIc drivc
iowards rivaiizaiion and nany rcccni
land rcforns Iavc crodcd iradiiional
asioral land rigIis and arc oficn
unsuiicd io iIc nccds for collcciivc
forns of nanagcncni and acccss
io asioral land uscd as connon
rocriy. TIcrcforc, iIcrc is a nccd
io addrcss iIis qucsiion and FAO Ias
coniriluicd or is currcnily coniriluiing
io iIc rcaraiion and inlcncniaiion
of asioral codcs in various African
counirics, including Durlina Faso,
Cuinca and iIc Nigcr.
Fcgional rcqucsis for FAO's assisiancc
and advicc includc a widc rangc of
issucs. TIc following lcsi rcrcscni
currcni roosals and discussions in iIc
various rcgions.
Africa. land icnurc olicy fornulaiion,
adaiing land icnurc arrangcncnis
undcr connon rocriy rcsourcc
sysicns io ronoic susiainallc rural
dcvcloncni, dcsign and inlcncniaiion
of land sciilcncni and land disiriluiion
rogranncs. TIc sulrcgion facing iIc
grcaicsi cIallcngcs for rcdisiriluiivc
land rcforns is souiIcrn Africa.
Asia. lcasing arrangcncnis, land
iaaiion, land rcgisiraiion and
land consolidaiion.
Ccniral and Easicrn Euroc. lcasing
arrangcncnis, nanagcncni of rcsiiiuicd
rocriy, land iaaiion and land
consolidaiion. TIc iniiial rivaiizaiion
rcforns arc now largcly conlcicd,
and iIcrc is incrcasing rccogniiion of
iIc nccd for a sccond rcforn iIrougI
insccuriiy is a lcy cIallcngc. TIcy can
lc addrcsscd ly roviding a consisicni
lcgal francworl, Icling io rcsolvc/
nanagc conicis and csiallisIing iIc
adninisiraiivc infrasiruciurc ncccssary
for inlcncniaiion.
Ensuring acccss io land for iIc landlcss
is a lcy oliiical dcnand and could also
rovidc a siariing oini for susiaincd
inrovcncnis in iIc aliliiy of iIc oor
io accunulaic asscis and cnIancc iIc
cqualiiy of ooriuniiy.
FAO's |o|e
Coniinuing rural ovcriy and landlcssncss
in nosi dcvcloing counirics and growing
social unrcsi in sonc rural arcas cnsurc
iIai FAO coniinucs io rcccivc largc
nunlcrs of rcqucsis fron Mcnlcr Naiions
for advicc and assisiancc in rcgulaiing
land icnurc issucs, including agrarian
rcforn. WiiI iis long ccricncc, FAO is
wcll suiicd io roviding iIis scrvicc in wIai
arc oicniially vcry coniciual siiuaiions.
Ii Ias iIc conaraiivc advaniagc of lcing
irusicd as an Ioncsi lrolcr wiiIoui vcsicd
inicrcsis. FAO can draw on iis ccricncc
of worling closcly wiiI govcrnncnis, civil
sociciy and dcccniralizcd insiiiuiions
in iIcsc scnsiiivc arcas. Fcqucsis for
assisiancc in iIc conici of agrarian
rcforn includc.
TIc ccIangc of currcni ccricnccs
of innovaiivc agrarian rcforn and
land adninisiraiion iIrougI siudics
and guidclincs on lcsi raciiccs,
siraicgics, olicics and conccis.
SucI siudics sIould ain io cnIancc
susiainallc livcliIoods.
TIc inlcncniaiion of rojccis wiiI
govcrnncnis, civil sociciy and oiIcr
arincrs io inrovc local caaciiics for
land icnurc rcforn, land iiiling and
rcgisiraiion, and land consolidaiion,
csccially wIcrc land rivaiizaiion
rcforns Iavc rcsulicd in land
fragncniaiion. SucI asscssncnis
sIould includc rcvicws of diffcrcni
aroacIcs io land lcgislaiion and land
adninisiraiion, csccially rclaicd io land
rcgisiraiion, cadasirc, rural land iaaiion
consolidaiion of snall, fragncnicd
land arccls.
Laiin Ancrica. agrarian rcforn, land
sciilcncni, faciliiaiion of land narlcis,
land-usc lanning, land rcgisiraiion,
land iaaiion and acccss io land ly
indigcnous grous.
Ncar Easi. land consolidaiion,
nanagcncni of connon rocriy
rcsourccs and roicciion of rigIis of
asioralisis. Mosi agrarian rcforns Iavc
ncglccicd iIc nccds of asioralisis for
sccurc rigIis io land.
In nany dryland rcgions of Africa and iIc
Ncar Easi, nuliilc-usc rcsourcc sysicns
arc connon, lui land icnurc dclaics Iavc
noi considcrcd asioralisn suffcicnily.
SUMMARY AND CONC/US/ONS
Dcsiic uncvcn rcsulis and frcqucni
diffculiics in inlcncniaiion, agrarian
rcforns Iavc lccn insiruncnial in
inroving iIc livcs of nillions. TIc acc
of rcforn slowcd in iIc nid-1980s, arily
lccausc of a lacl of oliiical will and
funds on iIc sidc of govcrnncnis, arily
lccausc of a raiIcr sinlisiic frcc-narlci
aroacI io agriculiural dcvcloncni,
and arily lccausc of vcsicd inicrcsis
of iIc landowning cliic. Howcvcr, land
issucs Iavc noi lccn ui io rcsi. Fural
ovcriy, cclusion and landlcssncss arc
siill connon in nany aris of iIc world
and iIcy givc risc io oliiical unrcsi
and insialiliiy, land dcgradaiion and
incffcicni roduciion.
Agrarian rcforns arc an csscniial ari
of rcncdying iIc siiuaiion. TIcy rcquirc
sirong and cffcciivc conniincni loiI
fron govcrnncni insiiiuiions ai all lcvcls
and fron civil sociciy. TIcy Iavc io lc
cnlcddcd in conrcIcnsivc olicy and
insiiiuiional rcforns, and ocraic wiiIin
iIc rulc of law. TIcy rcquirc a lcgal
francworl io clarify individual rigIis and
acccss io connon rocriy rcsourccs
in ordcr io cnsurc icnurc sccuriiy and
ronoic susiainallc rural dcvcloncni.
TIcy rcquirc worlallc insiiiuiional
francworls and caaciiics in land rcforn
and land adninisiraiion. TIcy rcquirc an
cnalling nacroccononic cnvironncni iIai
docs noi discrininaic cliciily or inliciily
againsi agrorural dcvcloncni iniiiaiivcs.
TIcy nusi lc conlcncnicd ly a widc
rangc of rural dcvcloncni inicrvcniions
iIai rovidc suori io iIc lcncfciarics
and involvc iIcir aciivc ariiciaiion.
Fcforns sIould iargci landlcss grous
and also sircngiIcn iIc ccononic
oicniialiiics of all agriculiural roduccrs
iIai Iavc lccn consiraincd ly land icnurc
arrangcncnis. Poliiical, insiiiuiional
and iccInical suori fron CSOs is
crucial io iIcir succcss. Progrcssivc land
iacs, land sciilcncni, land narlcis,
land iiiling and rcgisiraiion arc csscniial
conlcncniary iools io suori land icnurc
rcforn rogranncs.
REFERENCES
FAO. 2003. Mutnguu tIcsuurus o und
tcnurc. Fonc.
PontI6caI CouncII Ior JustIce and Peace.
1997. Touurds u Icttcr dstrIuton o und. tIc
cIucngc o ugrurun rcorm. Vaiican Ciiy, Lilcria
Ediiricc Vaiicana.
Jaoan, t|e Reo0o||c of Ko|ea and 7a|wan
P|ov|nce of C||na
Lessons |earned: The success of Ihe agrar/an reforms
/n Japan, Ihe Repub//c of Korea, and Ta/wan Prov/nce
of Ch/na was due Io. good governance, re//ance
on ex/sI/ng manager/a/ ab///I/es of Ihe /and reform
benef/c/ar/es, and Ihe prof/I/ng from expand/ng
markeI opporIun/I/es caused by genera/ econom/c
growIh, /ncreased demand for agr/cu/Iura/ producIs
and guaranIeed good ouIpuI pr/ces.
The land reform programme in Japan imposed a ceiling of
1 ha on landholdings. Landowners were compensated in
cash and development bonds. ln the course of the reform,
the tillers received full ownership rights to the holdings
they had previously cultivated and a subsidized mortgage.
Between 1954 and 1968, labour and land productivity
increased annually by 5 and 4 percent, respectively.
Land reform in the Republic of Korea was characterized
by a thorough development and support to local village
authorities to assume the land administration function and
secure rights. As in Japan, the land was distributed to
the tillers, and former property owners were encouraged
to invest their compensation in industry. Programmes for
investment in agriculture and lending schemes for rural
areas were established. Thus, the country was able to
maintain a local dynamic for continuous agricultural and
rural development. ln the course of the reform, 65 percent
of the agricultural land was redistributed. A ceiling on all
individual holdings was set at 3 ha of good cropland. Land
in excess of this ceiling was distributed in units of 1 ha to
former tenants. This low ceiling enabled nearly 76 percent
of all agricultural households to own land for the frst time.
Under the impact of the reform, agriculture achieved an
annual growth rate of almost 4 percent.
ln Taiwan Province of China, the land reform was
imposed by the Nationalist Government, which had just
been exiled from mainland China. The new government
had neither ties nor felt any obligation to the local
indigenous landowners. Accurate land tenure data and a
non-indigenous bureaucracy were also important. Land
ownership ceilings were set at 1 ha. The former landowners
were compensated in industrial bonds, which they invested
in the urban-industrial zone. Between 1953 and 1960, the
annual increases in production and input consumption
were 23 and 11 percent, respectively.
The reforms in these three countries were successful
because of the conjunction of several positive factors.
The most important of these were: political will, good
governance (i.e. limited corruption and rent-seeking
behaviour in the implementation of the reformsj and the
reliance on the existing managerial abilities of the land
reform benefciaries. The reforms were carried out under the
slogan land to the tiller". They bestowed ownership rights
on former tenants. This transfer did not require the break
up of large estates and the creation of new infrastructures.
The authorities could utilize an existing physical
infrastructure, i.e. suitable road network and irrigation
facilities. They were able to make use of a functioning
institutional infrastructure, as existing input supply, credit
and marketing structures were not disrupted. An additional
advantage was the availability of trained human resources.
The reform benefciaries were the former tenants and as
such the managers of the farms they received. At the
macroeconomic level, the reform benefciaries profted
from expanding market opportunities caused by general
economic growth, increased demand for agricultural
products and guaranteed good output prices.
C|||e
Lessons |earned: Non-b/ased macroeconom/c po//c/es,
espec/a//y /nIeresI and exchange raIe po//c/es, are
cruc/a/ Io Ihe successfu/ /mp/emenIaI/on of an agrar/an
reform process. Conduc/ve agr/cu/Iura/ po//c/es IhaI
he/p benef/c/ar/es respond acI/ve/y Io econom/c
opporIun/I/es are a/so cr/I/ca/. The ru/e of /aw needs
Io preva// IhroughouI Ihe process. Measures Io reduce
Ihe /nsIab///Iy and uncerIa/nIy IhaI accompan/es
such profound processes of soc/a/ change need Io be
enacIed dec/s/ve/y. Soc/a/ mob///zaI/on needs Io rema/n
w/Ih/n raI/ona/ //m/Is. LongsIand/ng supporI serv/ces
for Ihe benec/ar/es of such processes are essenI/a/,
espec/a//y where Ihe Irans/I/on /s from former farm
workers Io v/ab/e enIrepreneurs. Th/s requ/remenI can
be reduced when dea//ng w/Ih former IenanIs.
ln Chile, the land reform process began evolving in
the early 1960s and took very different approaches
depending on the ideology of the implementing
governments in the period 1962-80.
7|e o|ec0|so|s
The process of land reform in Chile had three major
ANNEX 1
S/GN/F/CAN7 CASE S7UD/ES
catalytic factors:
The Alliance for Progress, which gave the
political pressure and the economic incentives
to the governments of Latin America to initiate
this progress.
FAO's involvement as a s0oe| oa|tes, giving the
necessary technical backing to the process, through
instances such as the reports by the lnter-American
Committee for Agricultural Development, which
showed both the inequitable distribution of land
assets in various countries in Latin America and the
poor performance of agricultural production since the
1930s, linking up both serious problems and presenting
substantive effects on overall economic development
of the successful Asian experiences with agrarian
reform (Japan, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan
Province of Chinaj.
The support of the Catholic Church (representatives, in
this case, of an emerging civil society movement of the
peasantryj, mainly the bishoprics of Santiago and Talca
(300 km south of Santiagoj, which initiated the process
by redistributing its landholdings to the peasants
working them. lt also set up a non-governmental
organization (NGOj to provide the necessary support
services and organize promotion actions for the
new farmers, serving as a testing ground for future
nationwide actions.
Sett|ng t|e |ega| stage
Following the Punta del Este Declaration, in 1962 the
Chilean right-wing government passed a constitutional
reform allowing for expropriations of agricultural
landholdings with delayed payments. lt also enacted
the frst land reform law (Law No. 15020j, which placed
a ceiling on individual holdings of 80 basic irrigated
hectares (HRBj - a homogeneous measure intended to
equalize production potential in the different regions of
the country (1 HRB corresponded to 0.5 ha near Santiago
and to 5 000 ha in the extreme south of the countryj. ln
addition, it transformed a public institution in charge
of managing land settlement schemes into the Land
Reform Corporation (CORAj. The CORA managed the
process, including the provision of support services to
the benefciaries, until 1980, when the military government
stopped the process.
The government did not use the land reform law and
continued with the distribution of state lands at a slightly
faster rate than in the past.
7|e |efo|m|st oe||od, 1964-70
ln 1964, a new government was elected on a political
platform that placed land reform and social transformation
of the agrorural sector very high on the political agenda. lt
was the frst government of Chile to receive a majority of
the popular vote. lt adopted a comprehensive approach
to the question, inserting the agrarian reform goal in
a broader framework of redressing the strong anti-
agricultural bias caused by the post-war development
strategy of import substitution. ln general, it sought to
bring about a social transformation of the feudalistic
scheme then prevailing in the countryside. This approach
included greater sectoral neutrality of macroeconomic
policies, including gradual liberalization of the prices of
basic foodstuffs and a crawling-peg foreign exchange
policy, thereby devolving a greater degree of proftability
to agricultural production. New legislation (Law No.
16640j allowed for the acceleration of the expropriation
of private lands, using a pre-established price for the
land based on its taxation value (well below the market
pricej, and ensured a cash payment for any investment
made in the expropriated farms after the enactment of
the 1962 law. This allowed the investment process in
Chilean agriculture to continue and even expand during
the implementation of the new legislation (see Ringlein,
1971j. lt also enacted a new legislation allowing for the
unionization of farm workers of the existing latifundia,
a process that was strongly promoted by the state.
As a result of this legislation, by 1970, farm workers
has achieved a higher proportion of organization than
urban workers, who had been allowed to unionize since
the 1930s.
A major production promotion programme was also
undertaken under the general framework of a long-term
plan, giving special emphasis to the subsectors where
Chile appeared to enjoy strong comparative advantages,
namely: temperate fruit and wine production in the Central
valley; forest plantations for pulp and paper processing
on the fringes of the Central valley; and dairy production
in the south.
The result of this comprehensive strategy was that,
despite the signifcant social change and a three-year
drought, gross agriculture production expanded at
an annual rate of 4.6 percent, almost double the rate
that the sector had experienced since the end of the
Second World War (see Cox, 1983j. Yet, at the same
time, 3.5 million ha, or more than 12 percent of country's
agricultural land and almost 20 percent of its irrigated land
(mostly in the Central valleyj, had been expropriated and
ownership transferred.
7|e |evo|0t|ona|y oe||od, 1970-73
During this period, the expropriation process was
accelerated, almost doubling the rate achieved in
the previous period. ln three years, it affected almost
7 million ha nationwide. violent farm seizures were, if
not encouraged directly by the government as a way
of expediting the process, strongly promoted by its
more radical supporters without having to face strong
government actions to maintain the rule of law. The
overall macroeconomic policy was strongly expansionary,
generating a hyperinfationary process (an annual rate of
300 percent in 1973j and widespread shortages. Food
prices began to be fxed again, and so the conjunction of
these macro tendencies and farm-level insecurity resulted
in a sharp drop in agricultural proftability. As a result,
agriculture production fell at an annual rate of 4.3 percent
(see Cox, Nio de Zepeda and Rojas, 1989j. The way the
process was conducted made a signifcant contribution to
legitimizing in the eyes of part of the population the violent
regime change that came about in 1973.
7|e co0nte||efo|m oe||od, 1973-80
Under the military government, the process was stopped
in its expropriatory stage and a general re-ordering of land
tenure took place. One-third of expropriated farms were
devolved to their previous owners; one-third, comprising
non-easily divisible lands (non-irrigated, hilly terrain and
mountainous areasj, were auctioned out to private and
public institutions; and one-third, comprising easily
divisible land (mainly irrigated fat landsj, were divided
into private plots and sold under long-term payments
to the original benefciaries. The major support activities
provided by the CORA were discontinued, it remaining
mainly as a land division agency. The supportive functions
were partially taken over by NGOs (mainly linked to the
Catholic Churchj, and by another public agency catering
for small farmer development, the National Agriculture
Development lnstitute (lNDAPj.
The macroeconomic environment was not conducive to
the sustainability of the new benefciaries, with prevailing
high inflation rates, drastic liberalization of markets
(including the capital marketsj, annualized real interest rates
on loans reaching 40 percent, and liberalization of the land
market. This period ended with a severe economic crisis
in 1982, when the gross national product rate dropped
by 14 percent, owing to the exchange rate being fxed for
three years despite continuous infation. The result was
that about 50 percent of the benefciaries of individual plots
assigned during this process had sold out by the mid-
1980s (see Echenique and Gomez, 1988j, and the annual
rate of growth in agricultural production had returned to
the sluggish 2 percent of the pre-reform period.
This process reversed strongly after the crisis, when more
conducive macroeconomic and agriculture policies were
implemented. They included a return to a crawling-peg
exchange rate and greater control of the capital markets.
The new policies led to a sizeable reduction in interest rates
and a programmed reduction in the infation rate.
Agriculture policies regained their prominence. The
price-band system was established, bringing stability
to the main agricultural markets (wheat, sugar beet and
oilseedsj. Agricultural credits were re-established, and
support services were expanded for small farmers as
well as commercial producers. Agricultural production
responded rapidly, regaining annual growth levels of
7 percent (see Cox, Nio de Zepeda and Rojas, 1989:
p. 130j.
C||na and v|et Nam
Lessons |earned: The success of Ihe /and reform
sIraIeg/es /n Ch/na and V/eI Nam was based on
supporI for fam//y un/Is.
At the end of 1978, the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China approved the Decision on
some issues of speeding up agricultural development". This
laid the foundation for a comprehensive agrarian reform
programme. The reform was carried out gradually. First, the
household contract responsibility system was introduced.
This gave farming families usufruct rights over cultivated
land. Second, the organizational system of the People's
Commune was abolished as it had proved ineffcient. Third,
new rural economic organizations were developed. The
results of the reform were impressive. Between 1978 and
1989, the value of gross agricultural output increased by
88.3 percent, at an average annual rate of 13.5 percent. ln
the same period, the per capita net income of farmers also
recorded an annual increase of 13.5 percent. This increase
in income was partly attributable to pricing factors, but
74 percent of it resulted from the strong incentives that
the reform gave to individual farmers. Furthermore, the
increased income led to investments in non-agricultural
activities, the establishment of small rural enterprises
and the creation of non-farm employment. As a result of
the overall economic growth in rural areas, the number
of rural poor fell from 260 million (33 percent of the rural
populationj in 1978 to 89 million (11 percentj in 1984.
viet Nam has experienced similar productivity gains
from breaking up large collective farms into small family
units. Laws enacted in 1981 and 1987 aimed to improve
agricultural productivity through increased incentives
of individual farmers and recognized land-use rights of
individual households. These reforms have resulted in
an impressive growth of agricultural output, transforming
viet Nam from a food-defcit country into a food-surplus
one. Rice production increased from 12 million tonnes in
1981 to 22 million tonnes in 1992. ln addition, there has
been a signifcant increase in the areas under industrial/
commercial crops including rubber, coffee, tea, coconut,
fruits and vegetables, while the area under inferior crops
such as cassava and sweet potatoes has declined.
Refe|ences
Cox, M. 1983. La pequea agricultura Chilena:
condiciones actuales y perspectivas. /n M. Cox, ed.
Ag||c0|t0|a C|||ena 1974-1982. Santiago, DECAM.
Cox, M., N|o de Zepeda, A. & Rojas, A. 1990.
Po||t|ca ag|a||a en C|||e: de| c|ec|m|ento exc|0yente a|
desa||o||o eq0|tat|vo. Santiago, CEDRA.
Echen|que, J. & Gomez, S. 1988. /a Ag||c0|t0|a
C|||ena: /as dos ca|as de |a mode|n|zac|on.
Santiago, FLACSO-AGRARlA.
R|ng|e|n, P. 1971. Econom|c effects of C|||ean nat|ona|
exo|oo||at|on oo||cy on t|e o||vate comme|c|a| fa|m
secto|. University of Maryland, USA. (Ph.D. thesisj
Iand reform / rforme agraire / reforma agraria 2003/2 32
Les probImes de dveIoppement
IIs Ia rIorme agraIre de 1963-2003
persIstent I'aube du XXI
e
sIcIe
Cet a|t|c|e exam|ne |es o|oo|emes de deve|oooement |0|a| q0| o|eocc0oa|ent |es
|esoonsao|es oo||t|q0es et |es ana|ystes des annees 60, o|eocc0oat|ons |av|vees a0 co0|s
de |a de|n|e|e decenn|e, ma|s dans 0n contexte d|ffe|ent s0| |e o|an de |a |ehex|on et d0
c|o|x oo||t|q0e. /'accent est m|s s0| |es ||es |esoect|fs de |'Etat et d0 ma|c|e dans |a
|ed0ct|on des |nega||tes en mat|e|e de |eoa|t|t|on des te||es et |a |0tte cont|e |a oa0v|ete
|0|a|e, |a c|o|ssance ag||co|e devant ev|demment t|e ma|nten0e. A cette hn, || o|esente
|es o||nc|oes ana|yt|q0es q0| so0s-tendent cette |ehex|on et |es constat|ons emo|||q0es
des 40 de|n|e|es annees, oo0| aoo0t|| |'|dent|hcat|on des o|oo|emes de deve|oooement
q0| |estent |eso0d|e et o|a|de| en fave0| d'0ne como|ementa||te ent|e |'|nte|vent|on de
|'Etat et |es ma|c|es fonc|e|s. /| s'ag|t en effet oo0| |es oays en deve|oooement de fac|||te|
|'acces |a te||e et de |0tte| cont|e |a oa0v|ete ahn d'ev|te| to0t ||sq0e d'ag|tat|on soc|a|e et
d'|nstao|||te oo||t|q0e. O|, || se|a de o|0s en o|0s d|fhc||e de |e|eve| ces dehs s| |es tendances
act0e||es ca|acte||sees oa| 0ne |nega||te c|o|ssante, |a o|eca||te fonc|e|e, |a o||vat|sat|on des
te||es comm0na|es t|ad|t|onne||es, |'|mo0|ssance |e|at|ve des go0ve|nements et |e dec||n de
|'off|e g|ooa|e de te||es a|ao|es se oo0|s0|vent a0 XX/
e
s|ec|e. /'a|t|c|e met en ev|dence |es
d||emmes a0xq0e|s sont conf|ontes |es |esoonsao|es oo||t|q0es d'a0|o0|d'|0| en mat|e|e de
deve|oooement |0|a|.
Los desaIos para eI desarroIIo
reIacIonados con Ias reIormas agrarIas
de 1963-2003 persIsten en eI sIgIo XXI
En este a|t|c0|o se exam|nan |as c0est|ones |e|ac|onadas con e| desa||o||o |0|a| q0e
o|eoc0oa|on a |os enca|gados de |a fo|m0|ac|n de oo||t|cas y a |os ana||stas en |os
aos 1960, c0est|ones q0e en e| 0|t|mo decen|o |an s0sc|tado |enovada o|eoc0oac|n,
a0nq0e en 0n contexto d|fe|ente oo| |o q0e se |ehe|e a| oensam|ento soo|e e| desa||o||o
y |as ooc|ones en mate||a de oo||t|cas. Se |ace ||ncao|e en |a f0nc|n de| Estado y de|
me|cado en |a |ed0cc|n de |a des|g0a|dad en |a d|st||o0c|n de |a t|e||a y |a ooo|eza |0|a|,
en a|mon|a con e| manten|m|ento de| c|ec|m|ento ag||co|a. A este |esoecto, se exoonen
|os o||nc|o|os ana||t|cos en q0e se oasa e| camo|o y |a exoe||enc|a de |os 0|t|mos c0a|enta
aos. E| examen conc|0ye |nd|cando |os |etos f0t0|os oa|a e| desa||o||o y ex|o|tando a |a
como|ementac|n de |as |nte|venc|ones estata|es con e| mecan|smo de| me|cado de t|e||as,
oa|a oone| a |os oa|ses en desa||o||o en cond|c|ones de aoo|da| |os |etos de 0n mayo|
acceso a |a t|e||a y 0na |ed0cc|n de |a ooo|eza oa|a o|even|| e| ||esgo de descontento
soc|a| e |nestao|||dad oo||t|ca. Aoo|da| estos o|oo|emas se|a mas d|f|c|| s| cont|n0an |as
tendenc|as act0a|es, ca|acte||zadas oo| |a c|ec|ente des|g0a|dad, |a ca|enc|a de t|e||as, |a
o||vat|zac|n de |as t|e||as com0na|es, |a ||m|tada caoac|dad de |os goo|e|nos oa|a |nte|ven||
y |a d|soon|o|||dad g|ooa| cada vez meno| de t|e||as de c0|t|vo. Este a|t|c0|o oone de |e||eve
|os d||emas y |as d|f|c||es dec|s|ones con q0e se enf|entan |oy en d|a |os enca|gados de |a
fo|m0|ac|n de oo||t|cas en e| amo|to de| desa||o||o |0|a|.
Land reIorm deveIopment chaIIenges
oI 1963-2003 contInue Into the
twenty-6rst century
M.R. E|-Ghonemy
Senior Research Associate, lnternational Development Centre, University of Oxford, United Kingdom, Emeritus Professor,
Ein-Shams University, Cairo, and Fellow, Department of Economics, The American University in Cairo, Cairo
7||s a|t|c|e exam|nes t|e |0|a| deve|ooment |ss0es t|at o|eocc0o|ed oo||cy-ma|e|s and
ana|ysts |n t|e 1960s, t|e conce|n ove| w||c| |as oeen |enewed |n t|e |ast decade o0t
w|t||n a d|ffe|ent context |n te|ms of deve|ooment t||n||ng and oo||cy c|o|ce. Emo|as|s |s
o|aced on t|e |o|es of t|e state and t|e ma||et |n |ed0c|ng |neq0a||ty of |and d|st||o0t|on
and |0|a| oove|ty |n como|nat|on w|t| ma|nta|n|ng ag||c0|t0|a| g|owt|. Fo| t||s o0|oose,
t|e ana|yt|ca| o||nc|o|es oe||nd t|e s||ft and emo|||ca| ev|dence ove| t|e oast 40 yea|s a|e
o|esented. 7|e d|sc0ss|on conc|0des oy |dent|fy|ng t|e deve|ooment c|a||enges a|ead
and ma||ng a o|ea fo| como|ementa||ty oetween state |nte|vent|on and t|e |and ma||et
mec|an|sm to enao|e deve|oo|ng co0nt||es to meet t|e c|a||enges of |nc|eas|ng access
to |and and |ed0c|ng oove|ty to ave|t t|e ||s| of soc|a| 0n|est and oo||t|ca| |nstao|||ty.
7ac|||ng t|ese c|a||enges w||| oecome mo|e d|fhc0|t |f t|e o|esent t|ends of ||s|ng |neq0a||ty,
|and|essness, o||vat|zat|on of t|ad|t|ona||y |e|d comm0na| |and, gove|nments' ||m|ted ao|||ty
to |nte|vene, and dec||n|ng agg|egate s0oo|y of a|ao|e |and cont|n0e |nto t|e twenty-h|st
cent0|y. 7|e a|t|c|e ||g|||g|ts t|e d||emmas and d|fhc0|t c|o|ces faced oy oo||cy-ma|e|s |n
|0|a| deve|ooment today.
rcforns rcccivcd ovcrwIclning suori
fron ricI counirics and inicrnaiional
organizaiions, csccially in iIc 1960s
and 1970s. TIc focus of iIcsc rcforns
was iIc sccdy allcviaiion of ovcriy
and incqualiiics in rural arcas wIcrc
low roduciivc Iunan rcsourccs,
undcrnuiriiion and landlcssncss
consiiiuic a sngc rollcn. rural ovcriy,
rural undcrdcvcloncni. Ii Ias lcconc
cvidcni iIai iIc low roduciiviiy and
nalnuiriiion of iIc landlcss and ncarly
landlcss agriculiural lalour forcc do noi
sicn fron iIc scarciiy of agriculiural land
and crcdii lui fron Iow iIcy arc owncd
and uscd undcr rcvailing insiiiuiional
arrangcncnis.
WIilc dcvcloing counirics wcrc cngagcd
in inlcncniing land rcforn rogranncs
|NTP00U0T|0N
TIc 40iI annivcrsary of iIis journal is of
sccial inicrcsi io nc for iIrcc rcasons.
Firsi, I was onc of iis foundcrs and a
coniriluior io iis 1963 inaugural issuc.
Sccond, during iIc asi four dccadcs,
I Iavc lccn an aciivc ariiciani in
olicy advicc and in iIc dclaic aloui iIc
dcvcloncni linls lciwccn iIc rcforn
of rural insiiiuiions and iIc growiI of
agriculiural roduciiviiy in gcncral and
IouscIold food sccuriiy in ariicular on
iIc onc Iand, and iIc ccrcisc of siaic
auiIoriiy io rcdrcss dcfcicni narlci
nccIanisns in ordcr io allcviaic rural
ovcriy on iIc oiIcr. TIird, I Iavc
wiincsscd an agrarian iransfornaiion in
scvcral ncwly indccndcni naiions wIosc
govcrnncni-adninisicrcd land icnurc
and najor land sciilcncni scIcncs, iIcy
ccricnccd nouniing forcign dclis and
iIc lurdcn of iIcir scrvicing cosis in iIc
1980s and 1990s. TIcsc IardsIis rcsulicd
fron a conlinaiion of scvcral faciors,
including nisnanagcncni of doncsiic
ccononics doninaicd ly iIc siaic and a
giani ullic sccior, inicrnaiional iradc
olicics and dcicrioraiing world dcnand
for nany agriculiural roducis wiiI no
glolal conciiiivc advaniagcs. TIc nany
counirics iIai failcd io oliain ncw loans
fron conncrcial lanls iurncd io iIc World
Danl and iIc Inicrnaiional Monciary Fund
(IMF} for Icl, agrccing io ialc wiiIin a
sIori criod of iinc a aclagc of scvcrc
iradc, fscal and nonciary aciions.
Known as Siruciural Adjusincni
and Sialilizaiion Progranncs", iIcsc
govcrnncni aciions Iavc Iad scrious
inacis on iIc inlcncniaiion of land
rcforn and land sciilcncni scIcncs as
najor insiruncnis of rural dcvcloncni.
TIc advcrsc inacis Iavc lccn nanifcsicd
in ullic ccndiiurc cuis (IcaliI,
cducaiion, irrigaiion, roads, cic.},
dcvaluaiion of doncsiic currcncy affcciing
food riccs, and ayncnis of sulsidics io
loiI agriculiural roduciion inuis and
IouscIold lasic ullic scrviccs in rural
arcas. All iIcsc unfavourallc ricc-lcvcl
cIangcs Iavc affccicd rcal wagc raics,
IouscIold inconc disiriluiion and ovcriy
lcvcls. Ovcr iIc asi 40 ycars, iIis suljcci
and rclaicd rural dcvcloncni conccrns
Iavc rcoccuicd scvcral uniis in loiI FAO
and Mcnlcr Covcrnncnis. TIrougIoui
iIis criod, Lund Hcorm, Lund Scttcmcnt
und Coopcrutucs Ias scrvcd as a forun for
oljcciivc arguncni.
TIis ariiclc canincs iIcsc rural
dcvcloncni issucs wiiI a vicw io
undcrsianding iIc analyiical rincilcs
undcrlying loiI iIc land icnurc rollcns
io lc iacllcd and iIc olicy cIoiccs io lc
asscsscd. Ii laccs sccial cnIasis on
iIc discussion of iIc rolcs of iIc siaic and
iIc land-crcdii narlci. TIc jusiifcaiion
for iIis sccial cnIasis is iIc incrcasing
glolalizaiion and rcccni rcliancc on
iIc narlci and noi on govcrnncni
inicrvcniion for ccononic aciiviiics,
including iIc salc, lcasc and urcIasc of
land. TIc rincial ain of iIis discussion
is io cnallc dcvcloing counirics io adoi
cillc olicics, conlining siaic inicrvcniion
wiiI narlci iransaciions in ordcr io facc
iIc rural dcvcloncni cIallcngcs associaicd
wiiI susiaincd ccononic growiI and a swifi
rcduciion in ovcriy.
TIrougIoui iIc ariiclc, iIc discussion
on iIc cIallcngcs aIcad is lroad. TIis is
lccausc of inicrcouniry variaiions in iIc
lacc of agriculiurc in iIc naiional cconony
and in iIc rclaiivc inoriancc of IouscIold
non-farn inconc wiiIin rural arcas, as wcll
as iIc cicni of inucnccs of land icnurc
arrangcncnis and land-lascd owcr on
cacI couniry's rural cconony. Ii is argucd
iIai a rclcvani land icnurc olicy nusi
rccognizc iIcsc varicgaicd couniry-sccifc
cIaracicrisiics. TIc discussion concludcs
wiiI a sunnary of iIc cIallcngcs aIcad
lascd on iIc lcssons lcarncd ovcr iIc
asi four dccadcs, and a lca io couniry
lanncrs and inicrnaiional agcncics for
a couniry-sccifc aroacI. Ii docs noi
rcscrilc a siandardizcd singlc aiI of land
rcforn olicy loiI lccausc cacI couniry
Ias a land icnurc sysicn cculiar io iisclf,
and lccausc land rcforn consiiiuics an
inoriani social cIangc and noi ncrcly
a lcgal or adninisiraiivc ncasurc for
agriculiural dcvcloncni.
ANALYT|0AL |$$UE$
In ordcr io undcrsiand iIc issucs idcniifcd
in iIc iniroduciion, ii is ncccssary io clarify
anliguiiics and nalc sonc disiinciions.
MucI confusion ariscs fron a lacl of
rccisc icrninology and fron iIc nisusc
and nisinicrrciaiion of iIc rcal ncaning
of iIc lasic icrns land rcforn", rural
dcvcloncni" and land narlci". Uniil iIc
1960s, iIc acccicd scnsc of iIc icrn land
rcforn" ncani iIc rcdisiriluiion of rocriy
and usc rigIis of land for iIc lcncfi
of landlcss agriculiural worlcrs. WiiI
iIc risc and sircngiI of iIc land rcforn
novcncni in Laiin Ancrica (Dorncr, 1992},
iIis narrow EnglisI icrn land rcforn"
candcd io agrarian rcforn corrcsonding
io iIc SanisI icrn rcforna agraria". TIis
cnIasizcd aciions sucI as land sciilcncni
or rcsciilcncni rogranncs on ullicly
owncd land, land rcgisiraiion, consolidaiion
of fragncnicd Ioldings, icnancy
inrovcncni and land iaaiion. TIis
candcd icrn nay lui noi ncccssarily
includc rcdisiriluiion of rivaic rocriy
rigIis in land. Ii Ias lcd io confusion in
inicrnaiional conarisons, as nanifcsicd
in iIc UN rcoris of 1963 and 1966 on
Progrcss in land rcforn". As noicd lclow
in iIc scciion on counirics' ccricnccs,
iIis confusion coniinucs in 2003 wIcn
individualizaiion of connunally owncd
or irilally Icld lands in Africa is ircaicd
as land rcforn. Sinilarly, iIc connon
usagc of iIc icrns rural dcvcloncni"
and inicgraicd rural dcvcloncni" (IFD} is
io idcniify tIngs sucI as scIools, clinics,
roads and iccInical advanccs in agriculiurc
(c.g. fcriilizcrs, inrovcd sccds and
irrigaiion cansion}.
TIc confusion arising fron divcrgcni
usagcs and oliiically noiivaicd
nisinicrrciaiion calls for a disiinciion
io lc nadc lciwccn ncans and cnds.
Lilc iIc srcad of scIools and irrigaiion
cansion, land iiiling and sccurc acccss
io land arc mcuns io an cnd, i.c. raising
Iunan caaliliiics in icrns of liicracy,
nuiriiion, lifc ccciancy and sclf-rcscci
(scc Scn, 1987; Scn and Anand, 2000}.
TIc rcalizaiion of iIis cnd is lilcly io
lc accclcraicd wIcn and wIcrc iIcsc
Iunan caaliliiics arc associaicd wiiI
iIc lcncfciarics' connand ovcr iIcir
food-inialc. I Iavc argucd clscwIcrc iIai
cffcciivc, sccurc acccss io roduciivc
land and rural dcvcloncni coalcscc in
iIc sccdy rcduciion of nalnuiriiion and
alsoluic ovcriy (El-CIoncny, 1990,
. 91112}. TIc sulsiancc of ny arguncni
is iIai agriculiural landlcss worlcrs arc
nci food luycrs. TIcy rcly on iIc unccriain
lalour and grain narlcis in ordcr io
urcIasc IouscIold food rcquircncnis.
Liion (1985, . 14} adds iIai sccurc
acccss io land iurns oui io lc nucI norc
of a lifc-cyclc assci iIan inconc, and
iIai, wiiI lciicr acccss io IcaliI, scrviccs
and cducaiion arc convcricd inio Iunan
caiial accunulaiion, consiiiuiing a sirong
conncciion wiiI ccononic growiI and
rural dcvcloncni.
TIc undcrsianding of iIcsc linls crniis
us io undcrsiand iIc rioriiics in olicics
and iIc ncaning of wIai is io lc susiaincd
in susiainallc rural dcvcloncni" and
inicgraicd in IFD. Wc sIould rccall iIai
iIc assauli on nalnuiriiion as an csscniial
rcquircncni for iIc rcalizaiion of rural
wclfarc was iIc ccniral ncssagc of, and
jusiifcaiion for, iIc csiallisIncni of
FAO in 1945, wIcn iis rudcni foundcrs
rccognizcd iIai food is norc iIan a iradc
connodiiy narlci.
AnoiIcr clarifcaiion io lc nadc conccrns
iIc insiiiuiion of rocriy rigIis in
land, wIicI is iIc Icari of any couniry's
ccononic sysicn and oliiical IilosoIy.
In iIc 1960s and nucI carlicr in iIc
rccordcd Iisiory of iIc now dcvcloing
counirics, land was vicwcd not solcly as a
facior of roduciion. Ii was considcrcd a
uniquc social ancniiy, i.c. a sccurc forn
of Iolding wcaliI, and of gaining social
sccuriiy and oliiical advaniagcs. TIis
ncani iIai land was a non-narlciallc
fanily assci. TIis disiinciion lciwccn land
as a narlciallc connodiiy, lilc a sacl of
fcriilizcr, and land as a social insiiiuiion
was nadc clcar wIcn iIis journal was
inauguraicd in 1963 ly Lcwis, iIc Nolcl
Prizc laurcaic in ccononics. In 2003, ii is
alsurd io scc iIc ronoicrs of iIc land
narlci aroacI io rural dcvcloncni
assunc iIc rcdoninancc of loiI iIc land
narlci and iIc narlcialiliiy of land in all
dcvcloing counirics, and io vicw land in
a narrow ccononic scnsc and analysc iis
narlci jusi lilc iIc narlci for fcriilizcrs.
In ny siudy of iIc Egyiian land narlci
(El-CIoncny, 1992}, I found ii ncccssary
io nalc a disiinciion lciwccn narlci
and non-narlci land iransaciions. I
found iIc laiicr io lc iIc doninani way io
land owncrsIi, conrising inIcriiancc,
inicrfanily narriagc, iIc land rcforn
laws of 1952 and 1961, land cioriion ly
viriuc of offcial siaius and iIc graniing
of land undcr conccssional arrangcncnis.
An cnirical siudy on iIc origin of land
owncrsIi in Egyi sIowcd iIai only
14 crccni of all IouscIolds Iad cvcr
urcIascd agriculiural land in iIcir lifciinc
and iIai iIcy wcrc largcr landowncrs. On
iIc oiIcr Iand, iIc scllcrs wcrc largcly vcry
snall landowncrs in iIc farn-sizc grou
of lcss iIan 0.4 Ia wIo sold iIcir land
in disircss and lccanc landlcss worlcrs
(Fadwan and Lcc, 1986}. Sinilarly, I found
inIcriiancc and inicrfanily narriagc io
lc iIc nain nodc of sccuring rocriy
rigIis in arallc land in Ycncn and Malawi,
rcscciivcly (El-CIoncny, 2001,
. 105133}.
The or|g|n of deve|opment po||cy |ssues about
property r|ghts |n |and under d|fferent |and reforms
My undcrsianding of iIc fundancnial olicy
issucs in iIc currcni dcvcloncni dclaic
is iIai iIcy originaic in iIc sysicn of
iIougIi dcvclocd ly iIc foundcrs of social
scicncc (SniiI, MaliIus, Ficardo, Mill and
Mar}. As I undcrsiand iIcir wriiings, iIcy
alsiracicd iIcir rincilcs fron a nunlcr
of agrarian cvcnis iIai iIcy wiincsscd in
iIc cigIiccniI and ninciccniI ccniurics.
TIcy all condcnncd iIc cvils of iIc fcudal
land icnurc rclaiionsIis, ariicularly
alscnicc roriciors, iIc cviciion of icnanis
wiiIoui concnsaiion and iIc rcsuliing
ovcriy. Howcvcr, iIcy rcacIcd diffcrcni
conclusions wiiI rcgard io iIc funciions of
rivaic rocriy and iIc rolc of iIc siaic in
adjusiing dcfcicni agrarian sysicns.
For canlc, rivaic rocriy as iIc
ccniral lond of caiialisn was conccivcd
ly SniiI, iIc foundcr of ccononics, in
iIc conici of Iis rincilc iIc invisillc
Iand" iIai coordinaics ccononic aciiviiics
and lcads io iIc nainizaiion of rivaic
gains. In Iis vicw, iIc funciion of iIc siaic
is io roicci ncnlcrs of iIc sociciy fron
injusiicc" (SniiI, 1776, Dool IV, CIaicrs
II and IX}. Howcvcr, in 18311860, Walras
and Iis followcrs iool iIis rudcncc io an
circnc linii of ircaiing ccononics as a
univcrsc of connodiiy rclaiions and noi
of Iunan lcIaviour and insiiiuiions. In
iIcir rincilcs of rariiy (scarciiy} of land
and caiial, gcncral cquililriun in iIc
land narlci, oiIcr facior narlcis and
riccs of iIcir roducis arc dcicrnincd
sinuliancously undcr sirici and unrcalisiic
assuniions. TIcsc assuniions, wIicI
arc sinly ialcn for granicd, arc rinarily.
iIc alscncc of siaic inicrvcniion, or iIc
oliiical ncuiraliiy of iIc siaic; univcrsal
crfcci conciiiion lascd on crfcci
infornaiion; alscncc of iransaciion cosis;
and raiionaliiy in dccision-naling. TIcir
analysis rclicd on naiIcnaiical nodcls iIai
lrougIi iIc analysis ncarcr io iIc Iysical
scicncc of Ncwion. (Myrdal |1968|, Coasc
|1992|, NoriI |1990| and Siigliiz |1997|
cIallcngcd iIc alovc assuniions and
nco-classical rincilcs on iIc grounds iIai
iIcy ncglccicd insiiiuiions and infornaiion
in iIc analysis of ccononic cIangc and
dcvcloncni issucs.} TIcsc rincilcs
wcrc dcvclocd laicr in nco-classical
ccononics, and rcvivcd in iIc 1980s and
1990s as nco-lilcralisn. TIis aroacI Ias
lccn adoicd ly advocaics of iIc narlci
aroacI io land rcforn callcd ncgoiiaicd"
or narlci-assisicd" land rcforn. Dcsiic
iis liniiaiions, iIc ncw aroacI sIarcs,
wiiI iIc old govcrnncni-rcdisiriluiivc
rcforns, iIc oljcciivc of incrcasing sccurc
acccss io roduciivc land, and iIc conccrn
ovcr incrcasing incqualiiics and ovcriy
in rural arcas. Tinc will sIow wIciIcr
iIis aroacI can Iold in iIc rcaliiy of an
incrfcci narlci (Caricr, 2000}.
TIis accouni of iIc analyiical rincilcs
iIc undcrlic a land rcforn olicy cIoicc
would lc inconlcic and nislcading
wiiIoui a lricf rcfcrcncc io iIc conirasiing
socialisi rincilcs of Mar and Iis
followcrs iIai Iavc lccn adoicd ly scvcral
counirics sincc iIc Fussian casanis'
rcvoluiion (19051917} and CIina's
agrarian iransfornaiion (19481978}. In
1840, Mar nadc an assauli on rivaic
rocriy and callcd for collcciivc rocriy io
scrvc iIc inicrcsis of iIc agrarian nasscs
of landlcss worlcrs and snall casanis
(callcd iIc cloiicd rolciariai ly Mar}.
Fron Iis siudy of iIc caiialisi nodc of
roduciion in iIc DriiisI, FrcncI and IrisI
land icnurc sysicns, Mar condcnncd iIc
caiialisi sysicn in wIicI iIc govcrnncni
was an cccuiivc conniiicc" for scrving
iIc inicrcsis of iIc rocriy owncrs, land
grallcrs, lailiffs and caiial lcnding agcnis
(idcniifcd as cloiicrs}. In Iis vicw, iIis
agrarian caiialisn siiuaiion of nonooly
owcrs and cloiiaiion lcd io iIc IrisI
Faninc (18451851} and iIc unrcccdcnicd
land wars in Ircland (18791892}.
NciiIcr of iIcsc conirasiing scis
of rincilcs was considcrcd io lc
rclcvani io an adcquaic analysis of rural
undcrdcvcloncni rollcns or adcquaic for
naling ullic dccisions and olicy cIoicc
in iIc ncwly indccndcni oor naiions
following iIc Sccond World War. Fron iIc
suffcicni cvidcncc accunulaicd in iIc
1950s and 1960s ly ccris fron FAO, iIc
Inicrnaiional Lalour Organizaiion and iIc
World Danl, as wcll as scvcral analysis
in acadcnic insiiiuiions, rincilcs of
dcvcloncni ccononics cncrgcd. TIcsc
assigncd an aciivc rolc io iIc siaic in
iniroducing ro-oor insiiiuiional rcforns
iIai lring aloui iIc rcdisiriluiion of asscis
(land and cducaiion} wiiI ccononic growiI
undcr a lanning nccIanisn. Howcvcr,
iIc doninancc of iIcsc aradigns of
dcvcloncni ccononics was sIori-livcd. In
iIc 1980s and 1990s, nco-lilcral rincilcs
rcvailcd in iIc conici of siruciural
adjusincni and forcign dcli rccovcry
condiiionaliiics.
00UNTP|E$' EXPEP|EN0E$
As a closc olscrvcr of land rcforn olicy
cIoicc during iIc asi four dccadcs, I
nay nalc a fcw rcnarls. Firsi, counirics'
diffcrcni rogranncs on land/agrarian
rcforn canc oui of iIc idcas and aradigns
ouilincd alovc iIai Iavc lccn rcccicd
in cacI couniry's ocraiional social
IilosoIy. TIcy rangc fron idcas on
iIc sacrcdncss of rivaic rocriy and
frccdon of cnircrcncurs in agriculiurc io
croriaiion and rcni conirol. Counirics'
ccricnccs sIow a variaiion in Iow far iIc
siaic would inicrvcnc io rcsirain ccononic
frccdons if, for canlc, landowncrs and
noncylcndcrs aluscd sucI frccdon or
iIc social funciion of land rocriy, and
violaicd iIc couniry's csiallisIcd rulcs on
social jusiicc and ullic wclfarc. Sccond,
iIc inicnsiiy of land rcforn rogranncs
(i.c. iIc nunlcr of counirics and scoc
of agrarian cIangc} was IigIcsi in a
Iisiorically sIori criod of iIrcc dccadcs,
iIc 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. TIis was
a criod iIai corrcsondcd io iIc iinc
wIcn nosi dcvcloing counirics gaincd
indccndcncc following a long criod
of colonial rulc. TIcsc Iisiorical cvcnis
suggcsi iIai naiional lcadcrsIis dccidcd
io rcforn land icnurc sysicns siraicgically
in ordcr io condiiion social and ccononic
rogrcss ai an carly siagc of naiional
rcconsiruciion. Dcsiic sonc wcalncss
in inlcncniaiion, I considcr iIis criod
iIc goldcn agc for iIc cnanciaiion of
oor casanis.
TIc inicnsiiy of agrarian iransfornaiion
calcd ai iIc iinc of iIc inauguraiion of
iIis journal and iIc Iolding of fvc rclcvani
world confcrcnccs. iIc Inicrnaiional
Confcrcncc on Land Tcnurc, Madison, iIc
Uniicd Siaics of Ancrica (1951}; iIc 1951
Sccial Scssion of iIc FAO Confcrcncc
iIai dccidcd iIc rcforn of iIc agrarian
siruciurc nusi lc ari and arccl of
iIc gcncral rogrannc of ccononic
dcvcloncni" siariing wiiI iIc UN Firsi
Dcvcloncni Dccadc in iIc 1960s; iIc
UN/FAO World Confcrcncc on Land
Fcforn, Fonc (1966}; iIc World Food
Confcrcncc, Fonc (1974}, wIicI canincd
food sccuriiy in rclaiion io land icnurc
sccuriiy; iIc 17iI Inicrnaiional Confcrcncc
of Agriculiural Econonisis on Agrarian
Fcforn, Danff, Canada (1979}; and iIc
World Confcrcncc on Agrarian Fcforn and
Fural Dcvcloncni, Fonc (1979}, wIicI
nandaicd FAO io assunc iIc lcading rolc
wiiIin iIc UN sysicn in assisiing counirics
in noniioring rogrcss in iIc allcviaiion
of land conccniraiion and rural ovcriy
incidcncc. Unforiunaicly, iIis criodical
noniioring nccIanisn was disconiinucd
in 1995.
My iIird rcnarl conccrns iIc cculiariiy
of cacI couniry's land icnurc sysicn,
rcquiring iIc iyc of rcforn iIai is
rclcvani io cacI couniry's land icnurc
sysicn. For canlc, iIc Mcican rcforn
was noi a oncc-and-for-all rcforn. Sincc
1911, ii Ias csiallisIcd iIc crnancni
rigIis of iIc casanis io iIc rcsiiiuiion of
iIcir connunal land sysicn (cdo}. TIc
Iialian land rcforn is anoiIcr canlc
of iIc cculiariiy of cacI rogrannc
and iis rclcvancc noi only io iIc naiional
condiiions lui io cacI rcgion of iIc sanc
couniry. iwo land rcforns for iIc Sila, a
iIird for iIc Marcnna, and a fouriI for
iIc dclia of iIc Po Fivcr. TIis cculiariiy
of cacI couniry's agrarian sysicn is an
csscniial considcraiion iIai coniinucs
in iIc iwcniy-frsi ccniury. In iIc asi
dccadc, ronoicrs of iIc narlci aroacI
io rural dcvcloncni Iavc rcscrilcd a
siandardizcd land rcforn olicy for iIc
voluniary urcIasc/salc of land ai iIc
narlci ricc, faciliiaicd ly iIc rovision
of gcncrous crcdii suly ai conccssional
icrns and inlcncnicd unifornly.
FouriI, iIc liniicd ccricncc of
inlcncniing iIis narlci-assisicd land
rcforn suggcsis an anliguiiy wiiI rcgard
io loiI iIc assuncd oliiical ncuiraliiy
or iIc oliiics-frcc land narlci and iIc
loundarics lciwccn iIc narlci and iIc
rolc of iIc siaic. My 1999 siudy for iIc
Uniicd Naiions FcscarcI Insiiiuic for Social
Dcvcloncni (UNFISD} on iIc worling
of iIis aroacI in si counirics (Drazil,
Colonlia, Kcnya, Malawi, iIc PIiliincs
and SouiI Africa} and iIc scqucncc of
cvcnis in asi ccricncc suggcsi iIc
fallacy of sucI a ncuiraliiy assuniion
(El-CIoncny, 1999}. Ii also suggcsis
iIc inoriancc of iIc conlcncniariiy
lciwccn iIc narlci and iIc siaic, wIcrcly
iIc laiicr. (i} rcnovcs iIc insiiiuiional
larricrs in iIc lanling sysicn, csccially
crcdii suly and norigagc olsiaclcs;
(ii} rcduccs iransaciion cosis in iIc lcasing
and rcgisiraiion of land; (iii} rovidcs
infornaiion on land qualiiy and rcnial
valucs and aloui iIc availaliliiy of land for
salc; and (iv} rovidcs iccInical assisiancc
io ncw owncrs.
TIc Iisiorical ccricncc of a caiialisi
cconony sucI as iIc Uniicd Siaics
iclls us iIai siaic iniiiaiivc cnallcd iIc
land narlci io funciion and cand iIc
Ancrican rural cconony. TIis was rooicd
in iIc ionccring siaic ronoiion of fanily
farns ly iIc Lincoln Honcsicad Aci of
1862. Suoricd ly anii-irusi (nonooly}
laws and sulsianiial ullic invcsincni
in ncccssary infrasiruciurc, ii ocncd u
rural Ancrica io rivaic invcsincni and
conciiiivc narlci forccs. Sinilarly, in
iIc caiialisi cconony of Crcai Driiain,
iIc insiiiuiional nonooly of landlords
was cIcclcd and riccs of land and rcnis
wcrc long rcgulaicd ly iIc laws of 1875
and 1890 iniiiaicd ly iIc Prcsidcni of iIc
DriiisI Land Tcnurc Associaiion, iIc wcll-
lnown oliiical ccononisi, Mill. TIcsc
laws wcrc cnforccd in ordcr io nalc farn
icnancy and land icnurc sccurc, iIis
lcing iIc foundaiion of an cgaliiarian
and cffcicni rural narlci cconony (scc
El-CIoncny, 1990, CIaicr 5}. WiiIoui
rcforning iIc insiiiuiional nonooly, iIc
laudcd DriiisI icnancy sysicn did noi worl
in scvcral counirics (c.g. iIc Zanindcri
sysicn in India, and Egyi's auciioning of
rcnicd land}. Tcnanis cannoi afford io ay
iIc narlci ricc of land wiiIoui iIc Icl
of sccial crcdii faciliiics, sucI as iIosc
rovidcd ly inicrnaiional fnancing agcncics
io govcrnncnis adoiing narlci-assisicd
land rcforn ai a iinc wIcn iIcy arc
alrcady suffcring fron Icavy forcign dclis.
Morcovcr, cnirical cvidcncc and connon
scnsc icll us iIai, in a narlci cconony,
iIc rolaliliiy of oliaining a conncrcial
loan is closc io zcro for landlcss wagc-
worlcrs wIo wisI io own a iccc of land in
iIcir lifciinc.
Lasi, wIcn govcrnncni-adninisicrcd
agrarian iransfornaiion calcd in
iIc 1970s, and wiiI iIc ccciion of
a fcw socialisi/Marisi ccononics,
nosi land rcforn rogranncs wcrc
in rivaic rocriy-narlci ccononics
iIai csiallisIcd ccilings on rivaic
landowncrsIi, rcdisiriluiing iIc
rcsi anong iIc casanis wIo wcrc
nosily farning iIc land as icnanis and
sIarccrocrs. TIcir ccricncc suggcsis
iIai iIc rooriion of lcncfciarics and
agriculiural land rcdisiriluicd io ioial
agriculiural IouscIolds and agriculiural
land, rcscciivcly, arc najor dcicrninanis
of iIc rcduciion in ovcriy and incqualiiy of
land disiriluiion.
Two canlcs of rivaic rocriy-narlci
ccononics (Egyi and iIc Fcullic of
Korca} illusiraic iIc inucncc of iIc
inoriani sizc raiio of land owncrsIi
cciling io lcncfciarics' uniis. Egyi's land
rcforns of 1952, 1961 and 1964 csiallisIcd
a IigI cciling of 40 Ia and an avcragc sizc
of rcdisiriluicd irrigaicd uniis of 1 Ia. TIis
raiio of 40.1 cnallcd iIc rcdisiriluiion of
only 10 crccni of ioial arallc land anong
14 crccni of all agriculiural IouscIolds.
TIc 1945 and 1950 rcforns in iIc Fcullic
of Korca csiallisIcd a low cciling of 3 Ia
and an avcragc of 1 Ia of lcncfciarics'
unii sizc. TIis raiio of 3.1 cnallcd iIc
rcdisiriluiion of 65 crccni of all arallc
land anong 76 crccni of all agriculiural
IouscIolds. Accordingly, iIc dcgrcc of land
conccniraiion ncasurcd in icrns of iIc Cini
indc (0 alsoluic cqualiiy; 1 alsoluic
incqualiiy} dcclincd fron 0.611 io 0.456
in Egyi in 1975 and fron 0.729 crccni
io 0.303 crccni in iIc Fcullic of Korca
in 1970, suggcsiing a fasicr rcduciion in
incqualiiy in iIc Fcullic of Korca iIan in
Egyi (scc El-CIoncny, 1990, CIaicrs 5
and 6}. In loiI counirics, IouscIold inconc
disiriluiion was also inrovcd ly land
rcdisiriluiion associaicd wiiI inicnsivc
lalour cnloyncni and widcr acccss io
cducaiion lcing sccn as an inoriani assci
(Iunan caiial}. A conlinaiion of grcaicr
acccss io land and cducaiion ooriuniiics
Ias rcduccd iIc incidcncc of ovcriy anong
iIc rural oulaiion sulsianiially. in Egyi
fron 56.1 crccni in 1951 io 23.8 crccni
in 1965; and in iIc Fcullic of Korca
fron 60 io 11 crccni (El-CIoncny, 1990,
Tallc 6.11 and . 209}.
In conirasi, Drazil, Colonlia and SouiI
Africa, Iaving Iad no rcdisiriluiivc
agrarian rcforn, insiiiuicd largc land
sciilcncni scIcncs in ullic land. In
iIc 1990s, iIcy adoicd iIc nco-lilcral,
narlci-lascd land iiilc iransfcr lciwccn
willing scllcrs and willing luycrs wiiI dircci
fnancial suori. According io daia, iIc
Cini indc of land conccniraiion was vcry
IigI ai 0.86 in Drazil and Colonlia, lui
noi availallc for SouiI Africa. TIc lcvcl of
rural ovcriy (csiinaicd as iIc rooriion of
oor IouscIolds io ioial rural oulaiion}
was 73 crccni in Drazil, 45 crccni in
Colonlia, and 60.6 crccni SouiI Africa.
In SouiI Africa, iIc oor arc nosily naiivc
Africans, including 31 crccni of all rural
IouscIolds wIo wcrc landlcss and wiiIoui
grazing rigIis (IFAD, 1992, Acndi
Tallcs 2 and 6; Covcrnncni of SouiI
Africa, 1995}.
Ai iIc confcrcncc on agrarian rcforn
organizcd ly iIc Ccrnan Foundaiion
for Inicrnaiional Dcvcloncni in Donn
in MarcI 2001, non-govcrnncnial
organizaiions fron diffcrcni counirics
inlcncniing iIc land narlci aroacI
crcsscd iIcir vicws on iIc slowncss of
iIis narlci aroacI. In ariicular, iIc
World Fcdcraiion of Snall LandIoldcrs (La
Via Cancsina} dcnandcd a rcvision in iIis
aroacI wIicI ocraics on iIc rincilc
of 'land for iIosc wIo can afford ii'". TIis
organizaiion and iIc Food Infornaiion
and Aciion Nciworl crcsscd iIc fcar
iIai iIc narlci-assisicd aroacI io land
rcforn is lcading norc io a rcconccniraiion
raiIcr iIan rcdisiriluiion of land and iIc
rcduciion of iis incqualiiy" (DSE, 2001, .
26; scc also IFAD/World Danl/FAO, 1997;
Vogclgcsang, 1996}. A rclasc in Egyi's
land rcforn gains Ias ialcn lacc sincc iIc
adoiion of nco-lilcral aradigns coniaincd
in iIc 1991 ccononic rcforns agrccd wiiI
iIc IMF and iIc World Danl. Land icnancy
arrangcncnis Iavc lccn dcrcgulaicd,
rcsuliing in iIc cviciion of icnanis and a
sIar risc in rcnial valucs dcicrnincd ly
iIc narlci. TIc conscqucnccs Iavc lccn
incrcascd rural ovcriy, landlcssncss and
incqualiiy (El-CIoncny, 2003, CIaicr 4
and Tallc 2.11}.
ThE 0hALLEN0E$ AhEA0
TIc rcduciion of ovcriy and incqualiiy of
land disiriluiion, associaicd wiiI susiaincd
agriculiural ouiui growiI, Iavc lccn
iIc connon conccrn of iIc inicrnaiional
connuniiy sincc iIc 1960s. Civcn iIis,
wIai arc iIc rosccis for ncciing currcni
rural dcvcloncni cIallcngcs in iIc conici
of cIanging olicy cIoiccs and rcdcfning
iIc rolc of iIc siaic? Dcforc addrcssing iIis
qucsiion, wc nccd io undcrsiand iIc ordcr
of nagniiudc of iIcsc cIallcngcs. A 1993
siudy (El-CIoncny, Tylcr and Couvrcur,
1993} conducicd a siaiisiical analysis
of conarallc daia fron 21 dcvcloing
counirics. Ii uscd a cross-scciional
(inicrcouniry} nuliilc rcgrcssion nciIod.
TIc dccndcni variallc was iIc rooriion
of oor colc io ioial rural oulaiion
for cacI couniry, and iIc clanaiory
(indccndcni} variallcs wcrc iIc Cini indc
of iIc incqualiiy of land disiriluiion and
rcal agriculiural ouiui growiI. Civcn
iIc daia liniiaiions, iIc rcsulis sIow a
IigIly signifcani and osiiivc rclaiionsIi
lciwccn ovcriy and iIc incqualiiy indc,
conarcd wiiI an insignifcani and
ncgaiivc rclaiionsIi lciwccn ovcriy
and agriculiural growiI. Sinilar rcsulis
wcrc oliaincd ly oiIcr rcscarcIcrs, using
diffcrcni sanlcs of dcvcloing counirics
(DardIan, 1985; Criffn and CIosc, 1979}.
In sinlc icrns, ny siaiisiical analysis
sIows iIai a dccrcasc of onc-iIird in iIc
land disiriluiion incqualiiy indc rcsulis
in a rcduciion in iIc ovcriy lcvcl of onc-
Ialf in aloui 1214 ycars. TIc sanc lcvcl
of ovcriy rcduciion nay lc oliaincd in
60 ycars ly agriculiural growiI susiaincd ai
an annual avcragc of 3 crccni and utIout
cIanging land disiriluiion incqualiiy.
Two lcading ccononisis of iIc World Danl
Iavc rcccnily canincd iIcsc inoriani
quaniifcd rural dcvcloncni issucs of
incqualiiy, ovcriy and growiI, and iIcir
rclaiionsIis io onc anoiIcr (Dciningcr
and Squirc, 1998}. TIcy uscd good
qualiiy daia on incqualiiy of landIolding
disiriluiion lciwccn iIc 1960s and 1990s
for 66 dcvcloing counirics. TIcir ain
was io clorc wIy scvcral counirics Iavc
failcd loiI io incrcasc ccononic growiI
raic (or rcalizcd only slow growiI}, and io
rcducc ovcriy aficr iIcir inlcncniaiion
of ccononic rcforn rogranncs (i.c. aficr
adoiing nco-lilcral aradigns}. TIcir
analysis uscd iIc rcsulis of FAO World
Agriculiural Ccnsuscs for 1960, 1970,
1980 and iIc 1990s. TIcir rcsulis indicaic
a ncgaiivc cffcci of land incqualiiy on
sulscqucni inconc growiI. TIc incqualiiy
Iuris iIc rural oor iIrougI iwo cIanncls.
inaliliiy io rovidc collaicral for lorrowing
agriculiural crcdii, and low scIooling
aiiainncni rcsuliing in IigI illiicracy.
Enirical cvidcncc also suggcsis iIai land
disiriluiion incqualiiy incrcascd. in iIc
1980s and 1990s in sul-SaIaran Africa
(SSA}; in Easi Eurocan counirics wIcrc
land rcforns wcrc disnanilcd aficr iIc
collasc of iIc Sovici Union; and in iIc
1970s and 1980s in SouiI Asia (conarcd
wiiI iIc 1960s}. TIc incrcascd incqualiiy
Ias affccicd growiI ncgaiivcly. Alcsina
and Fodril (1994} oliaincd sinilar rcsulis.
TIc conclusion of iIcsc siudics is iIai
a conlinaiion of incrcascd aggrcgaic
invcsincni and land rcdisiriluiion
for iIc lcncfi of iIc oor raiscs iIcir
inconcs signifcanily, and is an cffcciivc
way of rcducing ovcriy and incrcasing
ccononic growiI.
Disaggrcgaiing iIc oor farning
oulaiion ly icnurc siaius and Iolding
sizc Icls io undcrsiand iIc nagniiudc
of iIc cIallcngcs aIcad. FAO Agriculiural
Ccnsuscs sincc 1960 Iavc indicaicd
incrcascs in iIc nunlcrs of snallIoldings,
wIilc iIc sIarc of iIcir acccss Ias noi
incrcascd. TIis suggcsis a coniinucd
fragncniaiion of iIcsc snall uniis, wIcrc
nosi of iIc foodgrain (ricc, wIcai and
naizc} is roduccd ly woncn, csccially
in Africa. TIcsc fcnalc farncrs Iavc lccn
disadvaniagcd in iwo ways ly iIc narlci-
lascd land rocriy iransfcr, ariicularly
iIc individualizaiion of iIc ccniurics-Icld
connunal (cusionary} land. Onc is iIc loss
of iradiiional cqual rigIis in land lccausc
lurcaucracics usually considcr ncn as
iIc Icad of iIc IouscIold; iIis dcsiic
iIc faci iIai in nosi SSA counirics ncarly
4050 crccni of all rural IouscIolds arc
Icadcd ly woncn (IFAD, 1992, Tallc 6}.
TIc oiIcr is iIc loss of woncn's iradiiional
cniiilcncni for sclf-roduccd food cros. My
1999 siudy for iIc UNFISD sIows iIai iIc
individualizaiion of cusionary connunal
icnurc in Malawi rcsulicd in iIc urcIasc
of land ly non-agriculiuralisi land
scculaiors, wIo swiicIcd roduciion away
fron food cros inio iolacco (El-CIoncny,
1999}. Many forncr landIoldcrs lccanc
wagc-worlcrs and losi iIcir IouscIold food
sccuriiy. TIis narlci-oricnicd land icnurc
and sucI usc sIifis arc worrying indccd
wiiI rcgard io rural IouscIolds' lilcliIood
of food insccuriiy, and iIc loss of woncn's
cusionary cniiilcncnis.
TIc grcai cIallcngc is io coc wiiI
iIc rising dcnand for acccss io land as
rcrcscnicd ly iIc incrcasing nunlcrs
of landlcss wagc-dccndcni worlcrs, in
ariicular, and iIc agriculiural worlforcc,
in gcncral. TIis ircnd is conoundcd
ly anoiIcr alarning ircnd of incrcasing
conccniraiion of land. Ai iIc sanc iinc,
iIc aggrcgaic suly of culiivallc land is
dininisIing. To caninc iIis downward
ircnd, I uscd iIc raiio of arca io worlcrs
in agriculiurc as a roy for iIc suly
of and dcnand for culiivallc land,
calculaicd fron FAO daia for 87 dcvcloing
counirics, including iIc rojccicd growiI
of agriculiural worlforcc for iIc criod
20002010 (FAO, 1986, and various
FAO roduciion ycarlools}. I found iIai
63 crccni of iIc 87 counirics sIowcd an
alarning dcclinc in iIis raiio. Onc ossillc
clanaiion is govcrnncni ludgciary cuis
inoscd ly iIc condiiions of IMF-fscal
rcforn inlcncnicd ly counirics according
io iIcir rioriiics, including iIai for land
dcvcloncni (c.g. irrigaiion, drainagc and
soil conscrvaiion}. Morcovcr, cnloyncni
ooriuniiics for iIc growing nunlcrs
of agriculiural worlcrs Iavc narrowcd.
TIis is rinarily as a rcsuli of rising
uncnloyncni in urlan arcas conlincd
wiiI iIc rclaccncni of unslillcd rural
worlcrs ly norc slillcd and cducaicd
jol-scclcrs conciing for low-aid jols, in
addiiion io lalour-dislacing iccInology
induccd ly frcc-iradc glolalizaiion.
In conclusion, onc could asl Iow
dcvcloing counirics' govcrnncnis can
ncci iIcsc cIallcngcs if iIc rcscni
ircnds coniinuc inio iIc iwcniy-frsi
ccniury, as iIcir aliliiy io addrcss iIcn
dirccily Ias lccn rcsiricicd and iIcir
rolc in dcvcloncni rcdcfncd ly nco-
lilcralisn (rcccicd in condiiionaliiics
of ricc sialilizaiion and forcign dcli
rccovcry agrccncnis}. TIcir rcsonsc is
nadc norc diffculi ly iIc fcar of lcing
disadvaniagcd in icrns of world iradc
conciiiivcncss, including in iIcir cfforis
io aiiraci nucI nccdcd forcign caiial.
TIc nci iwo dccadcs will lc a icsiing iinc
for govcrnncnis sccling io addrcss iIis
dilcnna. A failurc io do so will incrcasc iIc
risl of social unrcsi and oliiical insialiliiy.
In iIc ncaniinc, iIc dclaic in Lund
Hcorm, Lund Scttcmcnt und Coopcrutucs
will coniinuc io cnligIicn us aloui Iow io
facc iIcsc cIallcngcs and aloui iIc diffculi
cIoiccs iIai rcscni olicy-nalcrs wiiI
dilcnnas in rural dcvcloncni.
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