Meaning of Land Reform
Reform implies the existence of a defect that something is
deformed or malformed and does not suit existing conditions.
In broad sense, land reform refers to the full
range of measures that may or should be taken to improve or remedy the defects
in the relations among men with respect to their rights in land.
·
The term has also been defined as an integrated
set of measures designed to eliminate obstacles to economic and social
development arising out of defects in the agrarian structure.
·
Land reform thus involves the “transformation of
agrarian structure” or what are sometimes called “structural reforms.”
·
“Land reform” is often used interchangeably with
“agrarian reform” but in actuality, the latter is much broader than the
reformer.
Meaning of Agrarian Structure
In the above context, agrarian
structure is defined as a complex set of relationship within the
agricultural sector among tenure structure, production structure and the
structure of supporting services. A comprehensive land reform program
can never be complete without integrated reforms of all three structures.
Meaning of Land Tenure Structure
Land tenure structure
is a concept which refers to one or more types of land tenure systems
regulating the rights to ownership and control and usage of land and the duties
accompanying such tights.
·
Agricultural tenancy, as a manner of holding
agricultural lands, is only one of several forms of land tenure or rights in
land. It involves the question of whether share tenancy or leasehold tenancy is
adopted. Under share tenancy, tillers work on the land as sharecroppers
entitled to share in the produce of the land.
·
One of the main defects of our country agrarian
structure was the high proportion of share tenancy in our country. In this
regard, our Code of Agrarian Reforms automatically converts tenants to lessees.
(Sec. 4, infra.) The next stage is the conversion of the lessee to amortizing
owner; and finally to own-cultivator. (Sec. 2[1], infra.) Pursuant to
Presidential Decree No.27, tenant-farmers are deemed amortizing owners of rice
and/or corn lands they till.
Example of Land Tenure Reform
Measures
Land tenure reform measures would
include the following:
1. Redistribution
of private lands
2. Distribution
of lands in the public domain, sometimes also referred to as resettlement or
colonization
3. Regulation
of tenancy
4. Regulation
of agricultural labor contracts and wages; and
5. Elimination
of absentee landlordism and transfer of land ownership to the actual tillers.
Meaning of Production Structure
Production
structure is a concept which relates to the nature, type and modus
operandi as well as the actual process of production or farm
operation.
It is also
directly related to the size, location and shape of the production unit
holding, which may be operated singly or with assistance from others.
Examples of Production Structures
Distinguished
The following would fall under
production reform measures:
1. Consolidation
of small, uneconomic holdings to insure optimum utilization
2. Imposition
of a floor on holdings of uneconomic size beyond which subdivision is to be
prevented
3. Promotion
of cooperative or compact farming among sub marginal farmers
4. imposition
of a ceiling on holdings of non-cultivating owners
5. Organization
of crop rotation system
Land Tenure and Production
Structures Distinguished
The land tenure
structure must be distinguished from the production structure as it is
necessary to make a distinction between the concept of “rights in land” and the
concept of production and use of land”. Essentially, this implies a clear
distinction between the ownership holding and the operation
holding.
The first
concept referring to the rights over land, whether in terms of full ownership
or as circumscribed by law, irrespective of the manner in which the holding is
operated or managed.
The second is a
concept referring to the actual management of holding or the manager in which
the land is cultivated or operated irrespective of ownership.
Meaning of Structure of Supporting
Services
The structure
of supporting services is a concept which involves matters like credit,
marketing, the supplying of agricultural requisites, processing, storage, etc.
and other technical assistance bearing on reforms of tenure and production
structures.
These services
are provided mainly by the Department of Agrarian Reform, the Land Bank and the
Bureau of Agricultural Extension and they are designed to insure the success of
the farmer who has acquired a new tenure status as lessee, amortizing
owner-cultivator. They prepare the lessee for landownership and assist the
owner-cultivator to use the land more productively and thus increase his
income.
Meaning of Agrarian Reform
Agrarian reform is
considered wider than land reform.
1. The
term comprises not only land reform, the reform of tenure, production and
supporting services.
2. In
the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988 (R.A No. 6657), agrarian reform
is defined to mean “the redistribution of lands, regardless of crops or fruits
produced, to farmers and regular farm workers who are landless, irrespective of
tenurial arrangement, to include the totality of factors and support services
designed to lift the economics status of the beneficiaries and all other
arrangements alternative to the physical redistribution of lands, such as
production or profit-sharing, land administration and the distribution of
shares of stock, which will allow beneficiaries to receive a just share of the
fruits of the lands they work.”
Examples of Agrarian Reform
Measures
Agrarian reform would, therefore,
also cover the following:
1. Public
health programs
2. Family
planning
3. Education
and training of farmers
4. Reorganization
of land reforms agencies
5. Application
of labor laws to agricultural workers
6. Construction
of infrastructure facilities such as feeder roads, irrigation systems, etc.,
and the establishment of rural electrification
7. Organization
of various types of voluntary associations
8. Providing
employment opportunities to underemployed or surplus rural labor; and
9. Other
services of a community development nature
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