Farm Donation to FiTiCAS Establishes New Model for Protecting Agricultural Lands
FiTiCAS is celebrating the transfer of 31 acres to their custody while creating the necessary conditions for farmers to start their agroecology projects.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, August 23, 2023—The Fideicomiso de Tierras Comunitarias para la Agricultura Sostenible (Community Land Trust for Sustainable Agriculture), or FiTiCAS, is celebrating the receipt of its first donation of 31 acres from Finca Las Perdices in Ciales; this donation sets a precedent in the creation of alternative models for the protection of farmland in Puerto Rico and for providing solidary access to agroecological farmers who do not have the resources to buy these lands.
Finca Las Perdices, Ciales P.R. Photo by Jorge G. López Albarrán.
“This donation from José Colón López and Nélida Agosto Cintrón is beautiful and powerful. In terms of the country and public policy, this confirms that, amidst the urgency of safeguarding our lands, opening a just and solidary path is possible,” said Érika Fontánez Torres, president of the FiTiCAS Board of Trustees. “The fact that we have secured our first farm shows that there are legal models that enable us to come up with alternatives to achieve the objectives we strive for and that the country urgently needs,” she added.
Fontánez Torres explained that this alternative model establishes a legal precedent and framework for designing adapted agreements between FiTiCAS and landowners who wish to transfer their lands. The agreement meets the needs of both parties, so long as said needs are in line with the fundamental principles of the Trust, that is, to safeguard lands in perpetuity for agroecological purposes, to put lands at the disposal of autonomous agricultural projects, to govern lands according to democratic and participatory principles, and to preserve lands for future generations.
Nélida Agosto Cintrón and José Colón López at Finca Las Perdices. Photo by Jorge G. López Albarrán.
“For several years, my wife Nélida and I have wanted the farm and house we built with our own hands to have a secure future in their natural environment. The purpose of FiTiCAS is to secure lands to make them available for agriculture by small farmers using agroecological practices while ensuring the integrity of mountainous lands in forests. We are very pleased and proud to have contributed in a concrete way to the production of food by Puerto Rican hands. Because they are the ‘stewards of the land.’ Because the land belongs to those who care for it, protect it, and cultivate it responsibly and without destroying it. Because conservation is a way of life,” said Colón López, who will continue to live in the farm’s house under a 10-year lease in his name.
After the transfer of Finca Las Perdices was completed in early May, FiTiCAS has been actively working to develop a comprehensive plan for the management and use of the farm. The aim is to create the necessary conditions so that farmers who join the Trust to develop their agroecological projects can start them without major challenges.
“We are creating the conditions to make it possible for several autonomous projects to coexist on farms, under the custody of FiTiCAS, and for said projects to be part of the governance processes. We don't want to repeat the mistakes of failed models; rather, we want to build taking into consideration the challenges and realities faced by those who are dedicated to cultivating food security and sovereignty,” expressed Mariolga Reyes Cruz, co-founder and executive director of FiTiCAS. “For this reason, it is indispensable that we think about and build, alongside our allies and collaborators, the mechanisms for participatory planning, beneficiary entry, and decision-making,” she added.
From left to right, Mariolga Reyes Cruz, Nélida Agosto Cintrón, and José Colón López signing the donation agreement for Finca Las Perdices. Photo by Jorge G. López Albarrán.
In addition to the important milestone that the donation of Finca Las Perdices represents, FiTiCAS continues advancing its objectives and is currently in talks with several landowners around Puerto Rico to incorporate their lands into the Trust and ensure the lands are protected for agricultural purposes in perpetuity.
“Our dependence on food imports makes us increasingly vulnerable to the climate crisis. Protecting farmland in perpetuity as a commons while ensuring just and continuous access to land is key to meeting the needs of those who cultivate food and those who consume it while taking care of the ecosystems that we depend on. FiTiCAS is part of the diverse efforts being made in the country to transform our food system. The generosity and solidarity of José and Nélida, who have transferred ownership of the farm they have lived on and preserved for over 40 years to FiTiCAS, reaffirms the work we are doing. Our collective legacy will be life,” concluded Reyes Cruz, who is also producer of the documentary Serán las dueñas de la tierra (Stewards of the Land).
Community Land Trusts have emerged in the United States and other jurisdictions as alternative mechanisms for dealing with the land-grabbing financial trends that jeopardize people's fair access to housing and healthy food. FiTiCAS is the first Trust of this kind in Puerto Rico founded for agricultural purposes, and it strives to combat speculation, prevent the destruction of farmlands, and ensure the permanence of sustainable agricultural projects to combat the food insecurity faced by the Puerto Rican archipelago.
