New program looks to spur agricultural development

By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Governor Alejandro García Padilla presented the titles for 26 family farms to a group of farmers who, as part of an agreement with the government, will use the land for the purpose of developing agricultural projects.

The Family Farms program is an initiative led by the Land Authority to rescue the abandoned fincas, or farms, and offer them to families in rural areas of the country, along with the necessary resources to develop them.

These families have agricultural experience but lacked the financial resources to purchase a farm.

In providing these land grants, the García Padilla administration aims to advance the territory’s Food Safety Plan long term.

“With great pride, today announced the delivery of 26 titles, covering more than 331 acres of land, you, the farmers who have worked,” Padilla Garcia said. “We have reached the goal of delivering 126 titles from 2013, representing 3,250 acres of land. We are impacting much of our beloved island, as we have family farms in Adjuntas, Ciales, Camuy, San Sebastián, Maricao, Barranquitas, Añasco, Corozal, Las Marias and Jayuya. And today I can proudly say that the group of vacant farms have already been processed in leasing and usufruct all that were available for agricultural development.”

The delivery of these family farms is part of the government’s wider policy focusing on the role of agriculture as an economic engine in Puerto Rico.