Agrarian reform and "development"

Struggles over access to land were at the heart of political conflict across the Andes for much of the twentieth century. Large haciendas controlled vast areas of agricultural land while small landowners and sharecroppers barely survived through subsistence agriculture. This unequal distribution of land formed the basis for entrenched social and economic inequalities. From the mid-twentieth century onwards, governments sought to modernize their economies and respond to peasant movements by introducing innovative projects of agrarian reform. This chapter looks at the objectives, practical effects and long-term political consequences of such policies. While the successes of agrarian reform programmes were often mixed, they dismantled the hacienda system and allowed peasant communities to demand greater political representation and access to state services. Focused mainly on the example of Peru, the chapter also makes comparative reference to Bolivia, Chile, and Colombia.