Facilitating Ownership

Empowerment through land ownership

Land ownership is at the heart of Agros’ mission. It all began 39 years ago when our visionary founder, Skip Li, embarked on a journey to the highlands of Guatemala with a profound purpose – to purchase land and transfer ownership to the rural poor. Over the years, Agros has successfully acquired more than 8,000 acres, turning the dream of land ownership into a reality for thousands of families in Central America.

Despite remarkable progress, limited access to land persists, perpetuating poverty for generations. Although the region has since achieved a measure of political and economic stability, the underlying issue of land concentration continues as a fundamental obstacle. Despite major agrarian reforms in Latin America little has changed in the landscape of land distribution over the last 50 years. Two main negative tendencies prevail, concentration and fragmentation.

Empowering Regions Through Land Ownership

Land concentration in Latin America is alarming. Just 19% of the total farmland is owned by small landholders, while 81% is owned by international companies, regional businesses, and wealthy individuals. This is the highest concentration of land ownership in any region of the world. The concentration of land in the hands of a few has several negative consequences. It exacerbates income disparities, chokes economic mobility, and makes it difficult for small farmers to subsist. It also contributes to environmental degradation, as large, corporate landowners are more likely to engage in abusive agricultural practices.

As agribusiness operators compete over limited farmable land, the pressure to acquire quality land has also intensified. Increased land costs make farms smaller, leading to fragmentation. Small farmers are pushed to marginal and less productive land, further away from each other and any centralized resources. As plots shrink, it becomes harder for a family to generate the food and income they need to subsist, making agriculture unsustainable and pushing families to migrate. Agros recognizes the intergenerational importance of land as more than just a tangible asset. For the families we serve, land represents belonging and hope. It signifies the chance for families to stay together, flourish, and create thriving, stable communities.

Agros’ mission is firmly grounded in the belief that breaking the chains of poverty requires addressing the root causes of inequality, and land ownership is a pivotal pillar in this endeavor. But with low availability and high cost, purchasing land for the poor is increasingly difficult, even for Agros. We must adapt and continue to modernize our production systems by streamlining the other three factors of production–labor, capital, and technology. This way Agros becomes more efficient in the use rather than in the need of land. We have done it before! In the village of Nueva San Jose, Nicaragua, Agros families today are producing twice the harvest in half the land than previously used. This is an astonishing 4X increase!

As we plan for future land purchasing fundraising campaigns, we will incorporate not just modern high yield farming practices but some new methods of land acquisition, such as land banking and land guarantee funds, that enable the purchase of more, better land for agricultural production. Your role in making this happen is essential.

Land ownership empowers individuals and communities to generate income, improve food security, and access essential resources. When the marginalized gain access to land, they gain control over their destinies, enhance their dignity, and become active participants in the development of their communities.

Together, we can continue to provide the blessing of land ownership for those who need it most.