Regulation of land use in the peasant community of Ticlacayán, Pasco, 2004-2014

Abstract

The research analyzes the regulation of land during the period 2004 to 2014, in particular the concession of this resource to the mining industry. In this environment, the communal assembly delegates this responsibility to the leaders, who distance themselves from the being of the community and anticipate, in the framework of dialogue and negotiation, to concentrate profits and obtain individual benefits. The methodological approach is qualitative, and the research design is ethnographic, narrative and hermeneutic. In-depth interviews were conducted with the following actors: community president, community leaders and district mayor. The following documents were reviewed: minute book and files, regulations on land regulation. The result of the investigation maintains that in the framework of the negotiation, irregular arrangements are established between the representatives of the company and the leaders of the communal government, specifying the management of the dialogue. Arrangements that are repeated during the study period. But, the communal assembly at the end of 2014, in order to strengthen the communal leadership, expels the community members and leaders involved in these events and elects new representatives. The central conclusion of the research is that the regulation of land use responds to the function of the communal government, guaranteeing formal access to the land, but this context presents tensions due to the fact that the leaders dispute the control of access to the land.