Agrarian reform beneficiaries better off than others

Agrarian reform beneficiaries are gaining more economically than non-beneficiaries, an indication that the comprehensive agrarian reform program (CARP) is the vital link towards sustainable rural development, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said.

The DAR added the economic activities in agrarian reform communities (ARCs) are far more encouraging because of the willingness of farmer-beneficiaries and CARP-complying landowners to invest more on farm assets.

"This is something non-beneficiaries and landowners in areas where resistance to CARP is strong do not enjoy, apparently because they invest less in the land for fear of not being able to recover their investment," said a 22-page report entitled "An Integration of the First Round of CARP Impact Assessment Studies" conducted under the Policy and Strategic Research Service (PSRS) of DAR.

"This gives substance to the hypothesis that a more secured land tenure and ownership of land bestows confidence and willingness for landowners and tillers to invest more," added the report, which is based on the three-volume impact assessment studies of CARP.

Noted economist and former National Economic and Development (NEDA) Director General Cielito Habito shared the findings of the DAR-PSRS report in his newspaper column "No Free Lunch" entitled "Get CARP over" with.

Quoting the impact assessment studies, which were undertaken by the University of the Philippines-Los Baños in 2000 under commission of DAR-PSRS, Habito said farmer-beneficiaries invested more in their farm than non-beneficiaries by an average of P15,572 more per hectare.

Another survey of traditional landowners in various parts of the country undertaken by Ateneo economics professor Dr. Roehl Briones, revealed that landowners, who remain subject to CARP, invested an average of P11,066 per hectare less than those who had already complied and were just left with maximum landholdings allowed by the law.

The studies explained that security in land tenure and clearer property rights provide strong subjective and psychological improvement in the farmer-beneficiaries’ life.

It added the longer a farmer becomes a CARP beneficiary, the more he reduces the chances of being poor, much more if he is in an ARC since it could help improve his economic condition, social capital, civic entrepreneurship and democratic participation in community-related activities.

"The solution here is not to abandon CARP, but to complete its implementation as soon as possible, in order to remove this cloud of uncertainty currently inhibiting farm investments," the studies said.