PBI-Honduras observes National Agrarian Institute media conference, hears groups call for agrarian and land reform

On March 25, PBI-Honduras tweeted:

“PBI observed a press conference at the INA [National Agrarian Institute]. There was presence of peasant groups such as the @CntcTegucigalpa [National Union of Rural Workers] @CampesinaViaHN [La Via Campesina] @CodimcaH [the Council for the Integral Development of Rural Women] among others. The need for an agrarian reform where the peasantry has land and has the means to work it was highlighted.”

On Facebook, PBI-Honduras adds:

“The conference highlighted, above all, the situation of peasant women who in Honduras represent 70% of the producers, however, more than 85% of them do not have land ownership titles.”

According to their website, “the National Agrarian Institute (INA) is a Semi-Autonomous entity of the State, whose purpose is to carry out the process of agrarian reform in compliance with the national agricultural policy promoted by the Government, with the purpose of achieving the transformation of the agrarian structure of the country and incorporating the rural population into the integral development of the Nation.”

On March 25, La Tribuna reported: “The Honduran peasant movement and different agricultural representatives, yesterday called on the authorities to raise the National Agrarian Institute (INA), to ministry, because it is necessary to carry out the guidelines of support to the item that in recent years stopped planting 15 thousand [heads/stalks] of corn.”

Confidencial adds that the director of the National Agrarian Institute (INA) Francisco Fúnez also said on Thursday that at least 15 billion lempiras [about $768 million] is needed for the reactivation of the agricultural sector. That article also notes: “The official said that one thousand 400 million lempiras are urgent, which the new government will inject through the technological bond.”

Earlier this week, Criterio reported that the Honduran Armed Forces had received 64 million lempiras to manage agricultural production under Executive Decree PCM 52-2019 approved by former President Juan Orlando Hernández.

That article notes: “Wendy Cruz of La Via Campesina urged the government of Xiomara Castro to repeal the PCM that gives the power to the military, recommending strengthening the institutionality of the agricultural sector and promoting the creation of an Agricultural Development Law with a gender focus that guarantees a national plan and that ensures sustainable production, but, above all, guaranteeing the human rights of indigenous peoples, peasants and Afro-descendants.”

We continue to follow this situation.