Q&A with Diomara Montañez, mayor of Sardinata, Norte de Santander.
The implementation of the Rural Property and Land Administration Plan (POSPR) recently got underway in the municipality of Sardinata, located in Norte de Santander, near the border of Venezuela.
Here USAID is supporting the government of Colombia by survey thousands of rural parcels and providing land agencies with data for land formalization and land use planning. With this information, the National Land Agency (ANT) issues land titles and the national mapping authority IGAC updates the nation’s cadaster.
In this interview, Diomara Montañez, the mayor of Sardinata, talks about the community expectations, the transition to licit economies, and what a property title means to the people of Sardinata.
What does the Rural Property and Land Administration Plan (POSPR) mean to Sardinata?
Land administration falls under the Comprehensive Rural Reform spelled out in the 2016 Peace Accord. The POSPR is an important opportunity for our municipality to formalize all property. For the municipality, it is important, because with all the inputs and information that result from the POSPR we can update the Territorial Land Use Scheme. We want Sardinata to be a pilot municipality, a model in this process.
What does a property title mean to the residents of Sardinata?
A property title is meaningful and it makes people feel more rooted to their land. It also allows property owners to access bank loans and other government benefits. For farmers, land is everything.
How does secure land tenure contribute to the transition away from illegal economies like illicit crops?
In the long run, land formalization is important for farmers and the eradication of illicit crops. Having their land titled gives them the opportunity to take part in the transition, a process that we have been working on for many years. It is a process to encourage farmers to believe again, to have faith in the national and departmental governments. With the support of organizations like USAID, that hope has come back to our region. With this support, farmers can transition to legal economic activities, and focus on crops like cacao, coffee, plantain, cassava, and sugar cane. Farmers can once again grow food for our entire region and contribute to food security.
What is the latest in this process of transition away from illicit crops?
With USAID Land for Prosperity, in April we made a request to the Substitution of Illicit Crops Directorate in the Ministry of Justice to include Sardinata in the government’s Planting Peace crop eradication policy. Today, we received the news from the Ministry that we were included, and this brings joy to our municipality. This strategy, which coordinates the national and departmental administrations, is important to us because it has the potential to bring significant investments to Sardianata.
The government is designing a transformation strategy for the region that includes Sardinata. What does that strategy include?
Yes, the Agency for Territorial Renovation (ART) is making an effort to find the financial resources to start building a bridge between the village of La Paz in Sardinata and the village of Llanita in the municipality of Tibú. The governor of Norte de Santander is joining this proposal and co-financing the bridge, making the connection of these two neighboring municipalities a reality and helping to transform our region. This bridge will reduce the costs of transport and travel, allowing us to be more competitive. It will benefit hundreds of families, including cassava and palm farmers as well as businesses and the general population. We are very grateful to USAID and Land for Prosperity, because they made the effort and investment to create the studies and designs for the bridge. By the end of the year, we hope to have the financial resources to build this bridge.
How has the USAID-supported municipal land office improved land administration and the sustainability of a formal land market in Sardinata?
The Municipal Land Office (MLO) is another big contribution from USAID. A lot of people have gone to the office to find out information. It also benefits the municipality, because we have public assets like schools, health centers, and other public lands that do not have a land title. Now, with the MLO we can process these properties ourselves and send to the National Land Agency for formalization. With titled assets, we can mobilized public funds and make an even broader impact on the community. The municipal administration will hire one person to streamline these property formalization processes, and we are committed to making sure the land office is sustainable.