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Land tenure problems include the concentration of ownership in a minority
of the population and a lack of land titles that has its historical origin
in the colonial system of land ownership and the simultaneous existence
of large agricultural holdings and smallholdings. About 38 per cent of
the rural population are smallholders and they manage 35.1 per cent of
the land under permanent cultivation (van Dam 1999). Average farm sizes
range from 0.41 ha in Ecuador to a little more than 1.5 ha in Brazil and
Peru.
In spite of the numerous agrarian reforms and land distribution schemes
introduced in Latin America, land tenure has not changed markedly; there
is both a tendency to merge farms to make larger holdings and an increase
in the number of smallholdings (van Dam 1999). Both processes have adverse
environmental effects. In large farms, the land suffers from erosion and
compaction due to mechanization, as well as salinization because of improper
irrigation and chemical pollution. Smallholdings increase deforestation,
and lead to erosion and loss of soil fertility because they are used intensively
without allowing for adequate fallow periods (Jazairy, Alamgir and Panuccio
1992).
The Sub-regional Action Programme for Sustainable Development of the
American Puna, under the UNCCD secretariat, is developing an action plan
for an area where natural resources are limited and there are problems
of increasing poverty, migration and marginality (UNEP/ROLAC 1999). The
land tenure question, poor land regulations and the elimination of incentives
for agricultural expansion inspired the programme.
| Environmental impact of the land tenure
regime on soil conditions in Jamaica |
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As in the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean, the land tenure
regime in Jamaica is inequitable and, on both large properties and
smallholdings, few land conservation and recovery methods are used.
In the 1970s, agrarian reform favoured large properties in the
form of cooperatives, based on the intensified use of crops, mechanization,
an increase in irrigated area and monocropping. The environmental
effects included soil erosion and compaction of soils from mechanization,
salinization caused by deficient irrigation systems and chemical
pollution.
One-quarter of Jamaica's territory was under cultivation in the
1980s, and more than 90 per cent of farms covered 4 ha or less.
These smallholdings were concentrated in ecologically fragile mountain
areas of low fertility. Agriculture was based on traditional methods,
including slash-and-burn cultivation. Physical infrastructure and
basic services were lacking, farmers received little or no credit
and had little schooling.
The continued expansion of large agricultural properties and the
marginalization of peasant farmers has meant that there are now
fewer fallow periods and less crop rotation. Deforestation of mountainsides
continues and there has been a reduction in the number of draught
animals. In zones with smallholdings, soil degradation tends to
increase, especially the loss of fertility from erosion, and this
is reflected in a marked drop in production.
Sources: van Dam 1999 and Library of Congress
1987
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