San Julian consolidation project : social analysis

After a period of spontaneous settlement, the National Institute of Colonization with help from USAID/B began to provide basic infrastructure and promulgated a land use scheme. The settlement area is a semi-tropical 250,000 ha region on alluvial soil at 1,400 feet above sea level. The area has been divided into nine 2,000 ha nucleos (i.e., communities). Each nucleo is divided into forty 50 ha agricultural plots and is seperated by a 500 m (25,000 ha total) buffer zone. The nucleos also have a village square where every plot owner is permitted to erect a home. One central urban nucleo has been set aside for each eight agricultural nucleos as an associated production nucleo (NADEPA) where shools, warehouses, and cooperatives are to be located. Although Spanish, Quecha, and Hymara are spoken, nucleos can be homogenous. The number of households are increasing over time; the average household has 3.8 members. Nucleo settlers" committees, which approve new settlers, and the NADEPA governing board are filled through resident elections. School committees and mothers clubs are common to all nucleos. Although dependance on slash-and-burn agriculture is the basic economic problem, farmers are most concerned with boundaries and land deeds. Questions of credit, water, irrigation, and green belt proprietorship are also noteworthy. Although farming for 2 years qualifies one for a deed, titles have not been forthcoming. A baseline survey is recommended to prepare for a project that must improve education and health care and spread agricultural information, while strengthening democratic settler-directed institutions and arresting the peon/patron psychology. A system to disseminate agricultural technology through radio programming and community promoters and/or model farmers backstopped by professionals is advised. A health delivery system, to rely heavily on resident village promoters and auxilliaries, should also be considered. Finally, the collective action of the school committees must be applied to acquiring critical shool supplies.