AGRARIAN SETTLEMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY

GOCR"s Institute of Land and Colonization (ITCO) will implement the project with USAID technical assistance. ITCO will test an innovative approach to land redistribution on three farms totalling 9,880 ha. Of these, 7,400 ha will be distributed to 935 previously untitled farmers; another 680 ha will be used for community purposes; and the remaining 1,800 ha will be placed in reserves. The three areas will be developed according to detailed plans. Infrastructure such as gravel roads (48 km of new and 46.5 km of improved roads) and locally-built low-cost houses, will be constructed, as will community facilities such as schools and nutrition and health centers. New farmers will grow permanent crops, especially cacao and palm, and will be taught methods to reduce tillage and control cacao disease. ITCO will establish a fund to provide subsistence credit to new farmers and will intensify its extension efforts, using audiovisual techniques when needed. Training of new farmers will take place at the Rio Frio training center and will be coordinated with efforts of the Office of Integrated Rural Development to assist new farmers undertake community and cooperative development activities. Titling activities will take place in a 160,000 ha section of the Atlantic Basin. Title to 4,000 farms (25,000 ha) will be given to the families (24,000 people) presently occupying them. Another 1,265 families (7,600 people) will receive title to 2,200 ITCO-owned properties (40,000 ha). The entire 160,000 ha area will be mapped and surveyed to complete the national cadaster for use in the agrarian reform and in overall GOCR land and resource use planning. ITCO will study the impact of titling on the socioeconomic status of beneficiaries and on land distribution in general. To strengthen its institutional capability, ITCO will be given modern data managment equipment and assistance in creating a credit management system. In addition, foreign training will be given to 108 members of ITCO"s Planning Staff.