Tierra Verde pushes federal court on land titles for smallholders

The Cooperative Council of San Vicente filed a petition this week asking the Federal Court to order the Federal Office for Cooperative Affairs to clear a backlog of nearly eight hundred title applications. The delay, which has stretched to four years in some cases, prevents smallholders from accessing federal credit at the guaranteed rates reserved for registered landowners. Without title confirmation, farmers cannot borrow against their plots to buy seed, equipment, or to weather a poor harvest.

The petition names the Federal Office's sluggish appeals process as the root cause. A farmer whose application is denied must wait an average of eighteen months for a hearing, then another year for a ruling. During that time, the application sits in limbo, and the farmer cannot reapply. The Cooperative Council argues this delay amounts to a de facto denial of the federal credit access promised under the founding charter.

The Federal Office for Cooperative Affairs did not respond to a request for comment. The petition will be heard in Meridian within the next ninety days. If the court rules in the farmers' favor, the office could be forced to hire additional staff or to streamline its review process, a move that would likely require federal budget approval.