Agrarian Reform

“When land rights are secure, the cycle of poverty is Broken – for an individual, a family, a
village, a community and entire countries.”

Agrarian Reform is a distribution of lands, regardless of the corps or fruits produced to

farmers and regular farm workers who are landless.
The basic element of agrarian reform program includes land reform where measures are
taken with respects to the security of tenure, abolition of tenancy, imposition of ceilings and
many more.
Land Reform is an integration set measures designed to eliminate obstacles to economic
and social development arising out of defects in the agrarian structures.

Agrarian Reform Laws and Acts in the Philippines:

Land Reform Act of 1955 (RA 1400)- an act defining a land tenure policy providing for
an instrumentality to carry out the policy and appropriating fund for its implementation.
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (RA 6657)- an act instituting a comprehensive
agrarian reform program to promote social justice and industrialization, providing the
mechanism for its implementation and other purposes.

It was during Diosdado Macapagal that the agricultural Land Reform Code or RA
No.3844 was enacted, more specifically on August 8, 1963. This was considered to be the most
comprehensive piece of agrarian reform legislation ever enacted in the country that time.
Because of this, president Diosdado Macapagal was considered as the “Father of Agrarian
Reform.”

History of Agrarian Reform:

• The Philippines even before being, colonized by different countries, already have developed an
organization for their communities
• The land owned by these communities is known as barangay.
• They believe in and practiced the concept of "Stewardship" where relation between man and
nature is important.
 The Objective of Agrarian Reform:
•The main objective was to put an end to conflicts pertaining to land ownership.
•To bring stability in the political set up of the country is also regarded as one of the objectives
of agrarian reform. The political set up of the country plays an important role.
•The socio agrarian reform includes bringing about equality in terms of opportunities, income as
well as wealth.
•Agrarian reform program is primarily designed to facilitate agrarian reform activities like land
acquisition, land distribution, land management and encouraging the growth of feasible agrarian
reform communities.

Aspects of Agrarian Reform:

Economic Aspect
Large of the total working population is employed in agriculture and large percentage
contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) comes from agriculture. So, it is safe to say
that agriculture is the most important component of economic structure.

Socio Cultural Aspect

The Agrarian reform had resulted to favorable socio-cultural changes as follows:
a) A change from self-subsistent mindset to one of surplus for selling
b) Social order in the farmlands started to improve significantly
c) Farmers became more active in practicing leadership roles.
d) As land reform enhanced agricultural productivity and consequently increased net family
incomes, the farmers were able to send their children to school.
e) Agrarian reform which include receptiveness and modern family planning programs and also
awareness of the economic alternatives in the urban and industrial sectors.

Religious Aspect
Based on the biblical teachings, God is the owner of the earth and that he made it all for
his children. Food was not made for a few. God created this for all of us for the advancement of
our lives. Majority of the Filipino has a possession of land but immersed in the chains of poverty
they yearned for the ownership of land. On the contrary, some Revolts were directly pointed to
the lands owned by church. That’s why church became the enemy of land reform.