Ejido

The "ejido" [ɛxˈido] (from latin "exitum") system is a process whereby the government promotes the use of communal land shared by the people of the community. This use of community land was a common practice during the time of Aztec rule in Mexico.

It was not until the colonization of Mexico by the Spanish and other European settlers that this practice seemed to disappear and be replaced by the "encomienda" system. The "encomienda" system was abolished by the Constitution of 1917, with the promise of restoring the "ejido" system. This, however, did not happen until Lázaro Cárdenas became president in 1934. The "ejido" system was introduced as an important component of the land reform program. The typical procedure for the establishment of an ejido involved the following steps: (1) landless farmers who leased lands from wealthy landlords would petition the federal government for the creation of an ejido in their general area; (2) the federal government would consult with the landlord; (3) the land would be expropriated from the landlords if the government approved the ejido; and (4) an ejido would be established and the original petitioners would be designated as "ejidatarios" with certain cultivation/use rights. Ejidatarios did not actually own the land, but were allowed to use their alloted parcels indefinitely as long as they did not fail to use the land for more than two years. They could even pass their rights on to their children.

According to the 1960 census, 23% of Mexico's cultivated land belonged to ejidos.

In 1991, Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari eliminated the constitutional right to "ejidos", citing the "low productivity" of communally owned land. [ [http://ideas.repec.org/a/fip/fedfel/y1992ioct2n92-34.html Ejido reform and the NAFTA ] ] Since then some of the "ejido" land has been sold to corporations, although most of it is still in the hands of farmers. Some ejido cooperatives, like the ejido that runs the Tolantongo resort, have found alternative uses for their land other than farming.

ee also

* well-field system Communal lands
* Mexico Indigena geography research project on the future of the ejido and the comunidad agraria

References

External links

*Rural Development Institute: [http://www.rdiland.org/PDF/PDF_Reports/RDI_120.pdf Ejidos and Communidades in Oaxaca, Mexico (pdf)]
*Centro de Investigacion y Documentacion de la Casa and Sociedad Hipotecaria: [http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/publications/international/som2005.pdf Current Housing Situation in Mexico 2005 (pdf)]
*David W. Connell at mexicolaw.com: [http://www.mexicolaw.com.mx/ejido.html CAN I BUY "EJIDO" LAND?]