Organic Law on Rural Lands and Ancestral Territories

The Organic Law on Rural Lands and Ancestral Territories regulates the use, access, possession, ownership, administration and redistribution of rural land in Ecuador, requiring land ownership to fulfill social and environmental functions. The law promotes equitable access to land, regularization, allocation and titling of rural lands and ancestral territories, establishes the National Land Fund, provides redistribution and financing mechanisms, prioritizes family farming and small and medium-sized producers, and protects the territorial rights of communes, communities, peoples and nationalities. It also incorporates sustainability, soil conservation, agrobiodiversity and water-resource criteria.