Let’s go for a second agrarian land reform

Via Súmate

On Sunday, October 3rd in Cusco, after 53 years of the agrarian reform given by Juan Velasco Alvarado, our constitutional president, Professor Pedro Castillo Terrones, launched the II AGRARIAN REFORM. This is a very important issue, for a fundamental reason, societies are sustained by agriculture. Also, because this 2nd Agrarian Reform would imply a new step in the direction started by Velasco.

Peru is a country rich in agricultural production of various products; however, we support the table of millions of Peruvians, benefiting from imports. In other words, we are a country that produces potatoes and rice, but instead of buying from Peruvian producers, companies prefer to buy from abroad.

Therefore, the axes that the government has promoted in Cusco are important:

1- Food security.

2 – Associativity and cooperativism.

3 – Hydraulic Infrastructure.

4 – Civil Service in the Agrarian Sector.

5 – Rural industrialization.

6 – Promotion of Producers’ Markets and State Procurement.

8 – Livestock Resettlement.

9 – Intergovernmental and Intersectorial Articulation in the territory.

10 – Credit from an Agrarian Development Bank.

These are excellent axes for AGRICULTURAL STRENGTHENING and we must support them; however, the problems of land, water management, changing the institutionality of the Sector and agrarian organizations and landless farmers are still pending a solution.

The land issue can be summarized in terms of large-scale land ownership and small-scale land ownership in agricultural production. Small-scale farmers (60% of the land) own land in places with low quality; however, the best quality land is in the hands of agro-exporters. Another example is water: water management is in the hands of the big agro-exporters.

Another axis to consider in order to deepen the II Agrarian Reform in favor of those who have less, must consider that the new lands that are incorporated to agricultural activity must be granted to the LANDLESS FARMERS organized in cooperatives, associations, etc. and that the State must be present.

It is essential to move forward with the agrarian reform given by the government in conjunction with the rural workers, since they are the ones who provide the livelihood of all Peruvians. The land for those who work it.

Ricardo Yauricasa

Agrarian leader and leader of the Impulsor Group of Nuevo Peru – Castrovirreyna