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The United Front for the Defense of the Lajas Valley urged gubernatorial candidates to demonstrate genuine dedication to the protection of Puerto Rico’s agricultural lands, which are under significant pressure that jeopardizes food security.
Spokesperson Alfredo Vivoni noted that for the fifth consecutive electoral cycle, the organization has conducted an analysis, published on its blog GranAmbiente.com, to inform voters about legislative performance. This year, they also evaluated the promises made by gubernatorial candidates.
“I encourage voters to examine our report before heading to the polls to understand who is genuinely committed to the safeguarding of agricultural lands, who is performing adequately, and who is not,” Vivoni mentioned.
Titled “Agricultural Lands: Analysis of Public Policy and Government Programs,” the public can access the initial evaluation of government programs and legislative actions, as well as find links to specific topics in the sections For, Against, Featured, Schools and Curricula, and Transfers.
In the segment Comments on Political Platforms, the Front reviewed what the political parties’ government programs explicitly state regarding the safeguarding of agricultural lands, the Land Use Plan, and the adoption of Queremos Sol’s renewable energy proposal as the most appropriate alternative to constructing industrial-scale projects on agricultural or valuable ecological lands.
“There is a lack of commitment to land protection seen in the proposals from the New Progressive Party [NPP], the Popular Democratic Party [PDP], and the Dignity Project,” Vivoni stated. “The NPP and PDP’s proposals for industrial-scale energy projects pose a genuine risk to the prime agricultural lands in Puerto Rico. In contrast, the Alliance’s program (composed of the Citizen Victory Movement and the Puerto Rican Independence Party) acknowledges the Land Use Plan as the primary planning framework, supports safeguarding agricultural lands, and endorses the Queremos Sol renewable energy initiative.”
“[NPP gubernatorial candidate] Jenniffer González’s platform lacks a dedicated section addressing agriculture,” the spokesperson remarked.
He noted that the only reference they found regarding agriculture was a statement advocating for “the construction of large-scale green energy projects,” which implies potential development on agricultural or ecologically significant lands.
Vivoni emphasized that in PDP gubernatorial candidate Jesús Manuel Ortiz’s platform, the organization identified the following proposal: “Accelerated processing for large-scale renewable energy projects,” which carries the same concerns observed with the NPP’s agenda.
Regarding the Dignity Project candidate for governor, Javier Jiménez Pérez, the party suggests enhancing “the productivity of existing farms rather than expanding cultivated areas.” Vivoni indicated that this signifies a lack of interest in increasing agricultural reserves or adding protections to agricultural land, such as the Agricultural Reserve of the North Coast, which has yet to be implemented.
“This reserve has been sought since 2005 but has never come to fruition,” he said. “We acknowledge that the Planning Board designated this Reserve in 2016, and it was validated by the Supreme Court in 2019. The Planning Board’s website recognizes this Reserve.”
Vivoni mentioned that individuals will also find details regarding legislative initiatives aimed at deregulating the conditions concerning protected agricultural land.
“The 55 deregulation measures, although many have not been approved, seek to free agricultural lands that were previously processed by the government,” he explained. “The conditions intended for elimination were established when selling or granting them in usufruct, under the premise of ‘undivided and zoning as agricultural use’ as stipulated by Law No. 107 of 1974. The approval of these measures would lead to the fragmentation of agricultural lands in Puerto Rico.”
