Negotiation of communal land ownership of an abandoned coffee plantation

Location: Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

Timeline: 2002-2007

Principal organisations: TRÓCAIRE

The community of La Florida in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, successfully occupied and became owner of an abandoned coffee plantation. Between 2002 and 2004 they negotiated communal ownership with the Fondo de Tierras (State Land Fund), the Ministry for Agriculture, the private owners and banks. They secured the legal title over the finca in 2005 thanks to a governmental loan that was written off in 2007. The families, who once lived as tenant farmers in large plantations, have transformed the abandoned plantation into a thriving organic coffee cooperative that ensures their livelihood security.