To avoid judicialization, a Buenos Aires municipality agreed with producers on an unprecedented system to repair and improve rural roads

The agreement enables agricultural producers to participate directly in the maintenance and improvement of rural roads through private investments that can then be compensated with up to 75% of the Road Tax. Cañuelas has a network of approximately 900 kilometers of rural roads.

“It is an unusual agreement. Rural roads are a big problem in all parties because many times the municipality charges the fee and there is no adequate compensation“said the president of the Rural Society of Cañuelas, Manuel Córdoba.

The leader explained that the initiative arose precisely from the experience observed in other districts where the lack of road maintenance ended up leading to legal proceedings by rural producers. “As a result of what happened in other parties, we decided to sit down with the municipality and see how to resolve the problem before reaching that stage,” he said.

The agreement establishes that those producers who need to improve an access road to their establishmentss may hire private companies to carry out tasks such as elevation, ditching, vaulting, laying culverts or general maintenance.

Once the work is completed, they must present invoices, a description of the tasks performed and photographs of before, during and after the work. After municipal verification, compensation of up to 75% of the annual road tax corresponding to the items involved will be applied.

“The producer makes the investment, pays for the work and then receives recognition of the rate. Our intention was for 100% to be recognized, but it was not possible because the municipality also needs to receive a part of the rate,” explained Córdoba.

One of the main reasons that promoted the agreement is the low level of road tax payment in the district. “The collectibility level is barely 9.5%. That means that more than 90% of producers do not pay the fee because they consider that they do not receive an appropriate compensation“Córdoba stated.

In order to provide predictability to producers, three local suppliers agreed on a common reference rate for the work. “A value of 10,000 pesos per linear meter of intervened road was established. That means that Improving one kilometer has an approximate cost of 10 million pesos“explained the rural leader.

The works may be carried out individually or between several fronters when the same section benefits different establishments. In these cases, the recognition will be distributed proportionally according to the front that each producer has on the intervened road.

From the Rural Society they indicated that they also is developing a technical protocol to ensure that the work is done correctly. “We want to train the machinists so that they all work with the same criteria and responsibility,” said Córdoba.

Among the technical aspects, he highlighted the importance of raising the roads by correctly using the earth extracted from the sides to promote water runoff and prevent precipitation from deteriorating them again quickly.

For Córdoba, the state of rural roads does not only affect agricultural production. “Ambulances, children who go to rural schools and also the police pass through these roads. When a road is impassable, not only is production affected, but essential services and the safety of the entire community are also compromised,” he stated.