"Regional Meeting on the most Efficient Way to Build a Central America without Rural Poor"

Local Organization : Grupo Tierra - CODER

Region: Nicaragua - Central America

Content: The objective of the project was to open a Central America debate regarding the future of the rural areas in the region. Discussion commenced at a workshop and was followed by distribution of the outcomes and the establishment of a network. The perspective on rural development emerging from the inputs of farmers' organizations has been brought to the attention of other national, regional and international organizations.

Results: The participation of national and international NGOs, as well the provision of pertinent material, afforded the farmers' groups a better understanding of rural dynamics. The innovative vision built into the process of discussion looked at land in the context of strategies for reducing poverty and improving economic development. Media communication has been used to promote small-scale agriculture and to disprove the perception that this is neither productive nor economic by nature. A network was established after the workshop - Gruppo Tierra . The results have been presented to the main IGOs which are active at national and regional level.

The following was debated:

How to correct the land concentration?

• national debate (mediator, building a decentralized juridical framework, promotion of farmers' success stories, education and socialization, gender focus and family);

• adequate juridical framework (incentive on the correct use of resources, control of idle lands, taxation on big extensions, land access through purchase by small farmers to big agriculture farms);

• specific modalities for land administration (flexible juridical status for economic farmers' organizations, integral approach to favour technical and financial assistance, transparency for registration and cadastre, education on agricultural law).

How to avoid land re-concentration?

• social control (study of the potential use of land, current use, distribution and legal situation, decentralization of local power - municipal councils and municipal laws, strengthen the community-based farmers' organizations at national level, fiscal policy adequate to rural development, regularize land market taking into account the organizations, collective control on land use and recourses under different tenure systems).

What should be done to secure the viability of family production?

• understand the market, make offer respond to demand;

• define mechanism of interchanges based on fair economy;

• develop local market - not only external market.

Lessons learned: The results have been significant in terms of breaking down entrenched positions on land and rural development issues. Some results of the workshop such as: identification of long-term solutions and provision of new tools and instruments, have already been incorporated into the strategies of some partners (see CODECA ). The participants' capacity to understand the complexity of the topics and move from land claims to rural development proposals was evident.