Land tenure management: a key determinant of sustainable farming in Martinique

In Martinique, control over the way farmland is managed is a prerequisite in defining any so-called sustainable farming policy. The analysis of changes in the use of farmland shows that the inter generational transfer of land is not assured. Because of their size, more than 50 % of farms are today economically not viable. In addition, different studies on farming practices show that the land tenure structures of the farms may constitute an obstacle to the application of environment-friendly practices. To address this problem, many regulations have been adopted and institutional bodies created in recent decades at different levels of local government but most of these measures have not had the desired effect. In the last three or four years, new initiatives have been adopted (implementation of the control of land tenure structures and local level planning for sustainable development). The future of agriculture in Martinique will depend on the rigour with which these measures are applied.