PART I

AGRARIAN
REFORM

CONCEPTS
ASPECTS OF AGRARIAN REFORM
IMPLEMENTATION OF AGRARIAN
REFORM
COMPARATIVE AGRARIAN REFORM
PROGRAMS
AGRARIAN REFORM AND BALANCED
DEVELOPMENT

A. CONCEPT

Meaning of Land Reform

Reform implies the existence of a defect
that something is deformed of malformed and
does not suit existing conditions.

In broad sense, land reform refers to the

full range of measures that may or should be
taken to improve or remedy the defects in the
relations among men with respect to their
rights in land.

The term has also been defined as an

integrated set of measures designed to
eliminate obstacles to economic and social
development arising out of defects in the
agrarian structure.
Land reform thus involves the transformation
of agrarian structure or what are sometimes
called structural reforms.
Land reform is often used interchangeably
with agrarian reform but in actuality, the
latter is much broader than the reformer.

Meaning of Agrarian Structure

In the above context, agrarian structure is
defined as a complex set of relationship
within the agricultural sector among tenure
structure, production structure and the
structure of supporting services. A
comprehensive land reform program can
never be complete without integrated
reforms of all three structures.

Meaning of Land Tenure

Structure
Land tenure structure is a concept which
refers to one or more types of land tenure
systems regulating the rights to ownership
and control and usage of land and the duties
accompanying such tights.

Agricultural tenancy, as a manner of holding

agricultural lands, is only one of several
forms of land tenure or rights in land. It
involves the question of whether share
tenancy or leasehold tenancy is adopted.
Under share tenancy, tillers work on the
land as sharecroppers entitled to share in
the produce of the land.

One of the main defects of our country

agrarian structure was the high proportion
of share tenancy in our country. In this
regard, our Code of Agrarian Reforms
automatically converts tenants to lessees.
(Sec. 4, infra.) The next stage is the
conversion of the lessee to amortizing
owner; and finally to own-cultivator. (Sec.
2[1], infra.) Pursuant to Presidential Decree
No.27,
tenant-farmers
are
deemed
amortizing owners of rice and/or corn lands
they till.

Example of Land Tenure Reform

Measures
Land tenure reform measures would include the
following:
1. Redistribution of private lands
2. Distribution of lands in the public domain,
sometimes also referred to as resettlement or
colonization
3. Regulation of tenancy
4. Regulation of agricultural labor contracts and
wages; and
5. Elimination of absentee landlordism and transfer
of land ownership to the actual tillers.

Meaning of Production
Structure
Production structure is a concept which
relates to the nature, type and modus
operandi as well as the actual process of
production or farm operation.
It is also directly related to the size,
location and shape of the production unit
holding, which may be operated singly or
with assistance from others.

Examples of Production
Structures Distinguished
The following would fall under production reform
measures:
1. Consolidation of small, uneconomic holdings to
insure optimum utilization
2. Imposition of a floor on holdings of uneconomic
size beyond which subdivision is to be prevented
3. Promotion of cooperative or compact farming
among sub marginal farmers
4. imposition of a ceiling on holdings of noncultivating owners
5. Organization of crop rotation system

Land Tenure and Production

Structures Distinguished
The land tenure structure must be
distinguished from the production
structure as it is necessary to make a
distinction between the concept of rights
in land and the concept of production and
use of land. Essentially, this implies a
clear distinction between the ownership
holding and the operation holding.

The first concept referring to the rights over

land, whether in terms of full ownership or as
circumscribed by law, irrespective of the
manner in which the holding is operated or
managed.

The second is a concept referring to the actual

management of holding or the manager in which
the land is cultivated or operated irrespective of
ownership.

Meaning of Structure of
Supporting Services
The structure of supporting services is a
concept which involves matters like credit,
marketing, the supplying of agricultural
requisites, processing, storage, etc. and other
technical assistance bearing on reforms of
tenure and production structures.

These services are provided mainly by the

Department of Agrarian Reform, the Land
Bank and the Bureau of Agricultural
Extension and they are designed to insure
the success of the farmer who has acquired a
new tenure status as lessee, amortizing
owner-cultivator. They prepare the lessee
for landownership and assist the ownercultivator to use the land more productively
and thus increase his income.

Meaning of Agrarian Reform

Agrarian reform is considered wider than
land reform.
1. The term comprises not only land reform,
the reform of tenure, production and
supporting services.

2. In the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of

1988 (R.A No. 6657), agrarian reform is defined to
mean the redistribution of lands, regardless of
crops or fruits produced, to farmers and regular
farm workers who are landless, irrespective of
tenurial arrangement, to include the totality of
factors and support services designed to lift the
economics status of the beneficiaries and all other
arrangements alternative to the physical
redistribution of lands, such as production or
profit-sharing, land administration and the
distribution of shares of stock, which will allow
beneficiaries to receive a just share of the fruits of
the lands they work.

Examples of Agrarian Reform

Measures
Agrarian reform would, therefore, also cover
the following:
1. Public health programs
2. Family planning
3. Education and training of farmers
4. Reorganization of land reforms agencies
5. Application of labor laws to agricultural
workers

6. Construction of infrastructure facilities such

as feeder roads, irrigation systems, etc., and
the establishment of rural electrification
7. Organization of various types of voluntary
associations
8. Providing employment opportunities to
underemployed or surplus rural labor; and
9. Other services of a community development
nature

B. ASPECTS OF
AGRARIAN
REFORM

Economic Aspect of Agrarian

Reform
1. Vital position of agricultural in national
economy.
2. Obstacles to agricultural productivity.
3. Agrarian reform, an instrument for
increasing agricultural productivity.

Socio-cultural Aspect of
Agrarian Reform
1. Agrarian reform, a multifaceted program.
2. Assumptions about Filipino tenant farmers.
To mention only the relevant ones, these are, namely:
a. The tenancy problem has its roots in pre-Spanish
and Spanish pasts. It is, therefore, a centuries old
problem;
b. deeply rooted in history, the tenancy system
created a kind of tenants who are strongly traditional
and highly dependent-minded; and

c. There are only three kinds of landlords; the

benevolent one who acts like a father to the
tenant; the malevolent one who oppresses, and
one with the combined characteristics of the
first two.
3. Socio-cultural changes from agrarian reform.
According to the general experience in
countries which have achieved successes in
their agrarian reform programs, agrarian
reform had resulted to favorable socio-cultural
changes which may be summarized as follows;

a. A change from self-subsistent outlook to one of

surplus. The farmers began putting all their energies
in the farm;
b. A sound social order in the farming villages was
enhanced significantly. The farmers became more
conscious of the need to maintain peace and stability
in the community so that they could continuously
enjoy the increased benefits in the farm;
c. Farmers initiative and active participation in
leadership roles were promoted. Before, such roles
were the monopoly of the landowning class. After
land reform, farmers began forming associations
stood in equal footing with their erstwhile landlords
in social gatherings and club meetings. They, too
began to take active participation in local and
national elections; and

d.

As land reform enhanced agricultural

productivity and consequently, increase net
family incomes, the farmer were able to send
their to school. They widened their contracts
with the outside world through frequent trips
to market and other places or through
communication facilities which they acquired.

Religious Aspect of Agrarian

Reform
1. Biblical background.
2. Papal teachings
3. Church estates

Moral Aspect of Agrarian

Reform
Agrarian reform is demanded by the moral laws under
so many titles.
1. One reason concerns the peace and internal stability
of a country.
2. Another reason for agrarian reform is the fact that the
land-owner has been more than compensated for
his investment on land, while the tenant who made the
landlords profits possible is still immersed in poverty
3. There is also the question of injustice involved in
landlordism.
4. Another consideration concerns the innate tendency
of everyman to own land.
5. A final consideration concerns the economy.

Legal Aspect of Agrarian

Reform
1. Two vantage points. ---- strictly legal and
sociological.
2. Agrarian reform legislations to conform
with Constitution.
3. Constitutional mandates.
4. Policy development concerning agrarian
reform.

Political Aspect of Agrarian

Reform
1. Agrarian reform, a top-priority goal of
government.
2. Agrarian reform as a political process.

C.IMPLEMENTATIO
N OF AGRARIAN
REFORM

Ways of Effecting changes in

Agrarian Reform
Changes in the agrarian structure can be achieved in
practice by revolutionary means, by an authoritarian regime
or by evolutionary means through the democratic process.
1. In a revolutionary situation, it is accomplished as a result
of a shift of political, economic and administrative power
to a class which would benefit directly by the forms.
2. It can also be introduced by an authoritarian regime
already in power as a means of broadening its political
base and of accomplishing certain desired economic and
social changes.
3. The implementation of land reform within a politically
democratic framework, however, presents problems.

Requirements For Successful

Implementation Of Agrarian
Reform

Many countries in Asia and in the Far East

have legislated for programs of agrarian
reform during the last four decades. There
has been however, a wide gap between the
declared objectives of such legislation and
the actual realization. This has been
attributed to the failure to appreciate the
peculiar nature and the needs of land reform
implementation.

1. Agrarian reform is a complex and often

controversial program which usually meets
with opposition form vested interests. It is,
therefore, necessary that any organization
for its implementation should provide for
a line of command from the center to filed
levels in order to insure that policy is
enforced and supported at all levels.
2. In view of the fact that all support is usually
withdrawn by landlord on the introduction
of the program, it is essential that
beneficiaries are provided with the
necessary supporting services.

3. Since the preventing political, economic, social

and administrative systems are usually weighed
against the would-be beneficiaries, it is necessary
that the administrative organization and
procedures as well as the judicial system by
which the newly conferred rights are to be
enforced, are refashioned in such a manner as to
enable the attainment of the objective of the
program; and
4. Lastly, since existing administrators are often not
adequately oriented or sympathetic towards the
reforms and such a program is often obstructed by
vested interests at all levels, it is desirable to
involve the beneficiaries in the implementation
of the programs.

D. COMPARATIVE
AGRARIAN
REFORM
PROGRAMS

Agrarian Reform Program

Classified
The history of agrarian reform is a long one and consequently
there have evolved several program models. Any agrarian reform
program will fall under either of the following:
1.
2.

Rearrangement of tenancy relations.

Redistribution of land to the peasants by:

a. distribution of land in the public domain, sometimes

also preferred to as settlement or colonization
b. the distribution of private lands and landed estates
and parceling them to the tenants, accompanied by a
message program of technical and financial assistance by
the government.
c. consolidation
d. confiscation of private lands

Agrarian Reform Program in

Various Countries
The various agrarian reform programs in many
countries, while basically the same in their objectives,
vary in their specific. Where redistribution of land is
the principal prop of a States agrarian reform program,
the following points become cogent:
1. Retention ceiling
2. Recipients or beneficiaries of the redistribution
program
3. Valuation
4. Mode of payment
5. Repayment of new owners

6. Government support Two methods as far as

direction of repayment is concerned, have been
adopted:
a. the farmer directly pays for his land to the
original landowner under a system of
amortization with the least interference form
the government; and
b. in the majority of democratic and
developing countries, the new owners pay the
government who earlier has acquired or
expropriated these properties from private
owners.

7. Obligations of the new owners

These conditions, which are almost universal,
are the following:
a. fragmentation of allocated land is almost
always prohibited to prevent further subdivision
of the land as to make it uneconomic
b. one cannot be a recipient of land unless he
becomes a member of the cooperative
c. land is not transferable except in cases of
inheritance; and
d. recipients of expropriated lands must
personally cultivate their lands and at best, they
can only hire agricultural labor. Subletting is
generally prohibited.

E. AGRARIAN
REFORM AND
BALANCED
DEVELOPMENT

Agrarian Reform And

Industrialization
1. The first, a vehicle for the second.
2. Relationship between agriculture and industry.

Industrialization needs from agrarian

reform and a developed agriculture, the
following:
a. surplus agricultural crops as raw materials;
b. mass purchasing power of the peasant
masses;
c. capital and skill released from underutilized
land by agrarian reform; and

On the other hand, agrarian reform and agricultural

development need from a well-developed industry,
the following:

a. market for surplus production

b. agricultural machinery, chemicals and
research
c. employment for excess manpower; and
d. capital generated by industry.

3. Important condition for industrialization. To

industrialize, the following condition are
imperative:
a. we have a labor force that is more or less
adequately fed on very cheap staples.
b. we must develop an agricultural sector
that is increasingly well-off in terms of surplus
income. Not all our products can be exported;
and
c. there must be consumption within the
country. This internal or domestic demand
cannot be created unless the farming sector is
able to afford the products of industry.

Agrarian Reform And

Urbanization
1. Requirement for urbanization.
2. Development inputs from agricultural
sector.
3. Interdependence between the cities and
farms.

Agrarian Reform And

Community Development
1. Meaning of community development.
2. Two basic elements.
a. the active participation by the people themselves in efforts
to improve their level of living with as much reliance as
possible on their own initiative and resources; and
b. The provision of technical and material assistance by the
government wherever and whenever such assistance is
necessary and in ways which will encourage, self-help
and mutual help.
3. An approach to agrarian reform
4. Supporting institutions to agrarian reform

To ensure the continuity of the enthusiasm and

spontaneous acrion generated in local agrarian
reformefforts, it is necessary:
a. To broaden the base of these institutions to include all
interests in the local community;
b. To provide new institutions initially with adequate
external financial, technical and political support; and
c. To continuously
expose these institutions to new
knowledge and scientific advances relevant to their
needs.

Agrarian Reform And

Cooperatives
1. Cooperatives support Agrarian Reform
Program.
2. Cooperatives benefit farmer.
3. Policy of the state with respect to
cooperatives.