Project assistance completion report : Honduras small farmer titling project, 522-0173

The project covered 8 of the country"s 18 departments and succeeded in meeting its most important targets. A total of 40,288 titles (vs. a revised target of 40,000) were issued, covering 55,029 parcels on 330,424 ha of land; the title/parcel disparity reflects a decision made in the second project year to reduce the management burden by issuing titles by beneficiary rather than by parcel. There were two unplanned outputs. (1) A total of 9,576 of the titles were issued to women, demonstrating their high level of interest in agriculture, and potential access to credit. (2) A total of 368,204 parcels, covering 3.7 million ha of national and ejidal lands, were delineated with administrative boundaries, information which has proven useful to municipalities in their efforts to increase property land tax collections. Because Honduran law prohibited titling parcels of under 5 ha, the project focused on parcels 5-50 ha in size; however, two-thirds of the parcels delineated under the project were 1-5 ha in size. A midterm evaluation recommended lowering the limit to 1 ha, an action which is now being approved through the Agricultural Modernization Law. On a more general level, the project aimed to create a collaborative mechanism between the National Agrarian Institute (INA) and the National Cadaster to effectively and accurately issue titles. Whether the project"s accomplishments in this regard are sustained and expanded upon will depend on the priority that the Government of Honduras gives to the titling activities as demonstrated by financial support to INA and the National Cadaster. A number of lessons were learned concerning the importance of (1) an appropriate legal framework (e.g., allowing titling of smaller parcels), (2) tight quality control when using air photography for delineation and mapping, and of training for delineation technicians, (3) baseline data; (4) the use of mass media to promote the program among beneficiaries, and (5) the provision of timely financial support to technical activities. The project also demonstrated the added value to land when titles were issued, the willingness of banks to extend credit when properly informed of title benefits, and the feasibility of creating coordination between independent technical and legal entities.