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DUE TO DPL INACTION ON LAND CONTROL
USDA’s EQIP program denied for Pagan farmers
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program has been denied to Northern Islands resident seeking to farm in Pagan due to the Department of Public Lands’ inaction on land control.
Without DPL’s action in fully implementing the homestead waiver act and the agricultural homestead laws as they are applied to Saipan, Tinian, and Rota and not the Northern Islands yet, USDA’s EQIP has been denied until “the issue of land control” is settled.
USDA Natural Resources conservation Service Saipan Field Office district conservationist Kendal B. Hicks sent a letter to Northern Islands Mayor Jerome K. Aldan regarding EQIP.
In Hicks’ letter, he noted that the “two of the most significant eligibility issues for Pagan farmers” will be the requirement for prior, existing agricultural operations and the requirement for control of the land for the life of the EQIP contract.
“Control of the land can be achieved through a deed, lease, permit, etc…a good, minimum land control length will be five years,” Hicks said.
The EQIP contract would have allowed Pagan farmers to receive financial and technical assistance to implement conservation practices.
Hicks said that with a deed and survey map, the issue of land control should be settled.
“I say ‘should be’ because there needs to be a living person named on the deed as an owner…at this point in time, control of land has been the major road block for USDA assistance on Pagan, or any other Northern Island,” he said.
Aldan said DPL needs to take action because Secretary Pete A. Tenorio is literally denying the Northern Islands beneficiary interest pursuant to law and it cannot continue.
“There is the village, homestead waiver act, and agricultural homestead laws just give us the waiver act and the agricultural until some of the requirements for village homesteads are amended,” Aldan said.
“Because of the inaction by DPL in fully implementing the homestead waiver act and the agricultural homestead laws as they are applied to all CNMI residents inclusive that includes Northern Islands…It is a missed opportunity,” he added.
