Bolivia starts land reallocation

[Judi Lynn]

Sunday, June 4, 2006 - Page updated at 12:00 AM

Bolivia starts land reallocation
By Fiona Smith

The Associated Press


DADO GALDIERI / AP

Indigenous farmer Angelino Aruquipa gathers wheat on his one-hectare farm 55 miles northeast of the capital of La Paz. Bolivian President Evo Morales launched a sweeping landreallocation plan Saturday by handing over 9,600 square miles of state-owned land to poor Indians.
© 2006 The Seattle Times Company

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Leftist President Evo Morales launched a sweeping land-reallocation plan Saturday by handing over roughly 9,600 square miles of state-owned land to poor Indians.

Morales marked the start of his "agrarian revolution" just weeks after nationalizing Bolivia's natural-gas industry, giving foreign-owned energy companies six months to negotiate new contracts or leave.

Thousands of Indians gathered in the eastern city of Santa Cruz to receive land titles, chanting "Evo!" and waving Bolivian and rainbow whipala flags, which represent 500 years of Indian struggle.

"We want to change Bolivia together," Morales told the crowd. "Getting back the land means we're getting back all the natural resources; we're nationalizing all the natural resources."

Some land titles were handed out Saturday to Indian communities rather than individuals.
(snip/...)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003038336_bolivia04.html

[krkaufman]

1. What a wonderful concept....

Sharing of the common natural resources of the country, rather than strict adherence to a point-in-time "ownership" claim to the resources.

[rurallib]

2. How long before he has one of those air accidents

that used to be so frequent among Latin American left leaning leaders? Or is shrubeenie too occupied with Iraq? But then LA used to be a specialty of Negroponte's.

[ret5hd]

3. hmmm...maybe my next vacation will be bolivia.

[emmajane67]

6. You should go, it's brilliant!

My favourite country ever. I bawled my eyes out when I had to leave.
I even tried to find work there and stay, but I had time constrains.
I intend to go back.

If you really are serious about going, try and time a trip to La Paz with Bolivian Independence day, about the 6th of July I think.

Visiting there you also see why what Morales is doing is such a good idea. It isn't something I would like to see happen everywhere but having been to Bolvia and spoken to locals etc. it makes me so happy to see what is happening there.

[Red_Viking]

11. Bolivia is fantastic!

I visited back in 1997 for two weeks. One of the best trips I've ever taken. I'm so glad to hear about the beginnings of some reforms there. We went on a driving trip through the Chaco. What an amazing experience. Some of the little towns there are stunning.

Another must-do is a trip to Peru, but with their new president I'm not so sure it will be worth visiting soon. Back in the 1980s it was unsafe to travel there as a tourist, and since the same guy is in charge again, I would hesitate before going there. Macchu Picchu is spectacular, if you can travel there safely to see it.

South America is terrific, no matter how you slice it!

Peace,

RV

[Xithras]

4. Mugabe redux. Sustenance agriculture isn't an escape from poverty

2.4 acres is barely enough land to generate the crops needed to feed a single family for a year, much less make a profit. Generally speaking, sustenance farmers simply "survive" in the world...they work their farms all day long just to feed their families, and they typically have no opportunity to move up in society. If you look at western cultures, you'll see that they didn't advance until sustenance farming (and the agrarian lifestyle in general) was abandoned in favor of an urban one.

On the flip-side, it was the ownership of land that permitted upward mobility in countries like the US. People settled land, adn their descendants leveraged the lands value for cash that permitted them to move to the cities in the first place. I wonder if the Bolivians will be permitted to sell their lands and do the same?

[emmajane67]

7. A lot of Bolivians can't afford to feed their family as it is.

I don't know how providing them with the means to do so is such a bad thing.

[1932]

9. Previous rounds of land reform in South America failed because poor

people sold land immediately to very rich. So, hopefully, there are mechanisms in place that discourage immediate sales (like loans so that owners can get the full value out of their land). Also, sustenance farming in Africa (esp. maze farming in South Africa) has turned out to be some of the most productive farming in the world.

[Xithras]

14. Interesting. Does it generate a crop surplus?

If the farming is generating a surplus, it's no longer sustenance farming but a commercial venture. This is good for the farmer because it builds substantial value in the property AND provides a flow of cash in addition to feeding the family. The problem is that in most parts of the world, a 2.5 acre sustenance farm doesn't generate any surplus or profit.

Got any links to the South African maize farmer info? I come from an ag area (my home actually sits on ag zoned land) and I'm curious to know how they overcame some of the normal limitations that small farms suffer with. My home sits on a couple acres, and I've tried for years to figure out how to put it to good use. At the moment, I just let my horse and goats wander on it :)

[mitchtv]

5. It cost Allende his life

I wish Evo better luck

[saigon68]

12. Yes Kissenger and Nixon KILLED Allende

[ugarte]

8. "Some land titles were handed out...to Indian communities

rather than individuals." This is much wiser in my opinion. Individuals might simply sell their lands back to the oligarchy, leaving the situation worse than befire.

Title to the land should belong to the community.

[Vidar]

10. Viva Morales!

[Judi Lynn]

13. Morales begins land distribution among Bolivian Indians

Monday, 05 June

Morales begins land distribution among Bolivian Indians

Bolivian President Evo Morales launched Saturday his land reform by distributing an estimated 20.000 square kilometres of government property among poor peasants and Indians.

Morales signed the first seven property documents during a peasants’ rally in Santa Cruz in open defiance of local farmers who strongly oppose the small plots policy in the richest and most prosperous of Bolivia’s regions.
“They didn’t want me to sign the documents but I had to show them that land distribution is presidential business”, Morales told the cheering crowd.

The Bolivian president said that land reform begun with assets which had been recovered during the last ten years, but anticipated that it will continue with “unproductive land” including the annulment of concessions to forestry companies awarded during his predecessor’s administration, Carlos Mesa (2003/2005).
“All this will be decided by the Constitutional Assembly since natural resources can’t be awarded as concessions”, remarked Mr. Morales.

Next July Bolivians will be voting for a constitutional assembly to rewrite the Constitution and Mr. Morales has been strongly campaigning to ensure a majority that will include the reforms he has been executing including the nationalization of hydrocarbons industry assets and resources.

But he insisted that “honest farmers who work the land have nothing to fear; it’s only those who speculate who should fear”.
(snip/...)

http://www.mercopress.com/Detalle.asp?NUM=8049