With cultural activities and a symbolic act, the peasant community celebrated this Saturday morning, the fact that it benefits about 1,700 inhabitants of the region.
Sumapaz is one of the four Zones approved in December of last year by the Board of Directors of the National Land Agency. This is the largest locality in Bogotá, it occupies 42% of the District’s territory and it is the only one that is purely rural. It has 28 villages, of which 16 as of today are part of the Peasant Reserve Zone (ZRC), which includes 22,806 hectares (29.64% of the town): San José, Nueva Granada, Concepción, Tunal Alto, Tunal Bajo, Lagunitas, Chorreras, La Union, Santo Domingo, San Juan, Las Vegas, Capitol, El Toldo, San Antonio, Las Sopas and Las Ánimas.
The town commented on the historic event in a recent statement: “This is transcendental for the peasant social organizations and for the Sumapaceño community, who for 11 years fought to get the approval of the Peasant Reserve Zones, as agrarian initiatives that contribute to the construction of peace and the guarantee of political rights, economic, social and cultural of peasants, as expressed in part of the agreement “By which the Sumapaz Peasant Reserve Zone is established and delimited, located in town 20 of the city of Bogotá.”
For his part, Gerardo Vega Medina, General Director of the National Land Agency said: “The constitution of the Peasant Reserve Zones highlights the interest of peasant communities in adopting agricultural practices consistent with the use of the land in these territories, will avoid future conflicts and will promote the development of sustainable productive activities from a social, environmental and economic point of view. This year we hope to advance in the approval of another ten throughout the country”he assured.
The mayoress, Claudia López, was at the Sumapaz at the time of the declaration and stressed: “On this sunny Saturday morning we are going to our town, the most beautiful, that of our rurality, with a wonderful peasantry, thrown forward, who have defended their territory and who today achieve a historic claim that they have demanded, contemplated in the agreement of peace. The first after the signing. Of course the commitment is to continue taking care of the Páramo and the peasant, with sustainable agricultural development. We are glad that this figure joins the PDET.”
With information from the Sumapaz Local Mayor’s Office and the National Land Agency.