Land distribution in Latin America: what we still need to know for a class and gender analysis

Abstract

This paper considers why we do not have more reliable comparative data on the concentration of land ownership and its distribution by sex in Latin America. It discusses the methodological problems of agricultural censuses, and wonders why they are not carried out, in a timely manner, every decade. It summarizes the available data for Latin America on the Gini coefficient of land concentration and sex distribution of main landholders and landowners. It argues that for gender analysis, FAO's recommendations for the 2020 census round on Theme 10 (distribution within the household of decisions about property management and distribution) represent a step forward, and that lobbying should be done for these recommendations to be implemented by governments. However, the implementation of Theme 10 will only provide information on the distribution of property, by size and sex, of those agricultural units where the owners reside on their farms.  We would still be far from being able to answer the question of who owns each agricultural unit, regardless the form of tenancy, and to really know the degree of concentration of land ownership.