2012年-世界发展银行全球_El_Salvador_Country_Land_Assessment_140页_5mb

El Salvador Country Land Assessment Summary

Core Content

This report, prepared by the World Bank, assesses the alignment of land use, land tenure, and land market outcomes in El Salvador with public policy goals for sustainable and inclusive development in both urban and rural areas. It evaluates the effectiveness of land sector institutions and outlines policy options for improving land governance.

Main Topics and Key Findings

1. Agrarian Reform and Land Distribution

• Agrarian Reform History: The 1980s agrarian reform redistributed over 300,000 hectares of land to more than 85,000 families, significantly improving land access and reducing rural inequality.
• Land Transfer Program (PTT): Launched in 1992 as part of the Peace Accords, the PTT distributed 3,305 properties to 36,100 beneficiaries, covering around 100,000 hectares.
• Land Value and Productivity: Land transferred under the PTT had lower agricultural value than land from the 1980s programs, which affected the productivity and success of beneficiaries.
• Land Bank Closure: The Land Bank was closed in 1998, and its backlog was transferred to the Agrarian Transformation Institute of El Salvador (ISTA).
• Land Fragmentation: Rural households now use land in different ways, with many relying on off-farm income, urbanization, and remittances.

2. Legal and Institutional Framework

• Key Legal Instruments: Eleven key legal instruments govern land in El Salvador, including the Constitution, Civil Code, and the Development and Territorial Planning Law.
• Land Registration: The Centro Nacional de Registros (CNR) was established in 1994 and is one of the most advanced land registries in Latin America, using a folio real system that combines legal and geographic data.
• Land Tenure Informality: Land tenure informality remains a challenge, especially in rural and urban areas, with many land invasions and unregistered subdivisions.
• Land Regularization: Several regularization programs have been initiated, but progress has been limited due to issues like uncancelled mortgages, unregistered subdivisions, and inaccurate property liens.

3. Rural Land Tenure and Poverty Reduction

• Land Access and Inequality: Public policy interventions have successfully reduced rural inequality and landlessness, with the Land Gini index dropping from 0.81 to 0.75 and landless households decreasing from 41% to 18%.
• Land Redistribution: The Agrarian Reform and PTT redistributed 482,882 hectares of land, or about 31% of the country's estimated agricultural land.
• Tenure Security: Despite progress, formalization of land rights remains incomplete, with ISTA yet to issue individual titles for over 170,000 landholdings.
• Land Use Trends: Rural households have diversified their land use, with many engaging in off-farm activities due to limited agricultural productivity and tenure security.

4. Urban Expansion and Vulnerability

• Urban Growth Rates: Urban expansion in El Salvador has been rapid, especially in the San Salvador Metropolitan Area (AMSS), with the urban footprint increasing by 30% between 2000 and 2010.
• Satellite Municipalities: Colon and San Juan Opico, both in La Libertad, saw significant urban growth, expanding from undeveloped to 26 square kilometers.
• Land Use and Vulnerability: A significant portion of urban expansion occurred on steep slopes and areas with high agricultural potential, increasing natural disaster vulnerability.
• Precarious Settlements: Over 45% of new urban growth in AMSS and Santa Ana occurred in precarious settlements, often lacking basic urban services and built with unstable materials.

5. Land Use and Deforestation

• Deforestation Rates: Deforestation has been a major issue, with some municipalities losing over 50% of their forest cover between 1998 and 2008.
• Policy Impact: Public policies in the agrarian sector have contributed to deforestation, especially in areas with high agricultural potential.
• Conservation Challenges: Deforestation has raised concerns about environmental sustainability and the need for better land use planning and conservation strategies.

6. Land Market Trends

• Market Analysis: Land market trends in Ahuachapan, Santa Ana, and Sonsonate show increased land transactions and varying land prices.
• Public Auctions: Public auctions for cooperative land were not effective, with most involving a single bidder and resulting in uncompetitive prices.
• Informal Transactions: Cooperatives continue to use informal mechanisms to sell land, indicating a lack of formal market integration.

7. Integrated Perspective of Land Use and Public Policy

• Policy Objectives: The report examines where public policy objectives have been achieved and where they have clashed, particularly in urban and rural land use.
• Institutional Conflicts: Institutions are needed to mediate policy conflicts and promote land use efficiency, especially in managing urban expansion and land regularization.
• Policy Options: Several policy options are proposed to address land tenure informality, improve land market efficiency, and enhance environmental sustainability.

Key Policy Recommendations

• Improve Land Registration Systems: A digital inventory of land records can enhance transparency, reduce transaction costs, and support regularization efforts.
• Strengthen Land Use Planning: Better integration of land use planning with environmental and social considerations is essential to ensure sustainable development.
• Enhance Institutional Coordination: Improved coordination between the CNR, ISTA, and local municipalities is needed to address land tenure informality and support formal land transactions.
• Support Urban Inclusion: Policies should focus on ensuring that urban expansion is inclusive and that new settlements have access to basic services and infrastructure.
• Promote Sustainable Land Use: Efforts should be made to reduce deforestation and promote environmentally sustainable land use practices.

Conclusion

The report highlights the progress made in land reform and urbanization in El Salvador, while also identifying ongoing challenges related to land tenure informality, environmental sustainability, and inclusive urban development. It calls for improved institutional frameworks, better land use planning, and more effective policies to address these issues and support long-term sustainable development.