CONAIE’S Agrarian Law Proposal

The “Integral Agrarian Law,” presented by
ONAIE, consists of five main points:
* Existing demands for land should be processed
quickly, systematically and fairly, and there
should be equal access to land for all. Land con-
flicts should be dealt with not violently, but
through peaceful negotiations.
* Indigenous-campesino economies should be
modernized to improve their productivity levels.
Assuring better prices for agricultural products
will help resolve the problem of rural poverty.
The ultimate objective of this proposal is to pro-
duce better-quality, lower-cost products for the
domestic market, with a priority on food securi-
ty for all Ecuadorians, and secondarily, on agri-
cultural exports.
* Individual and community initiatives should be
promoted to sustain productivity, multiply
resources, and guarantee a rational redistribu-
tion of resources. Establishing efficient communi-
ty enterprises could help channel these energies.
* Any agrarian law must actively promote the pro-
tection and recuperation of the soil and other
renewable natural resources. It should promote
ecologically sound technologies and use ances-
tral technologies where appropriate.
* Organized groups of civil society in the country-
side (indigenous groups, campesinos, Afro-
Ecuadorians and small farmers) must play a
leading role in implementing a new agrarian
law. The state has a specific role: to administer
the law fairly and in a timely manner, and to
ensure the assignment of the appropriate
resources. While the market acts as a dynamic
force and improves the efficiency of many enter-
prises, it cannot rationally distribute access to
land. Rather, if the market is given free rein,
land tends to become concentrated in the hands
of a few.