Land Rights
After centuries of power grabbing and territory inequity, the Sandinista revolutionary government in 1979 embarked on an uphill struggle for agrarian reform and land rights. However, when the conservative political party took over in 1990, the switch back to a market economy again redistributed the parceled land. In many cases the land was simply reversed back to the same private and corporate ownership. For example, in 1983 the Sandinista government set aside a nature preserve in the San Cristobal-Casitas volcanic complex to protect the remaining forest cover. Due to policy shifts, 85 percent of the land that formed part of the reserve on the San Cristobal-Casitas volcano now belongs to one private owner. Government control of the remaining 15 percent is all but nonexistent. Landless peasants, large coffee growers, and cattle ranches are slowly settling into these public lands such as San Cristobal, and the government is failing to stop it.
Most of Nicaragua's land issues constitute an expanding gap between landless farmers and commercial logging, mining, and agricultural interests. In this sense, access and rights to land in Nicaragua become human rights concerns as well as environmental issues.
Recent reports indicate half of Nicaraguan farmers do not own the land they work, or own only small, low-quality parcels. A more equitable distribution of land, and regulations enforcing and supporting sustainable agriculture could accomplish a great deal toward alleviating both poverty and environmental degradation.
Most of Nicaragua's land issues constitute an expanding gap between landless farmers and commercial logging, mining, and agricultural interests. In this sense, access and rights to land in Nicaragua become human rights concerns as well as environmental issues.
Recent reports indicate half of Nicaraguan farmers do not own the land they work, or own only small, low-quality parcels. A more equitable distribution of land, and regulations enforcing and supporting sustainable agriculture could accomplish a great deal toward alleviating both poverty and environmental degradation.