Law Summary
Definition of Agricultural Tenancy
- Physical possession of agricultural land by a tenant belonging to or legally possessed by another.
- Production is done by tenant and immediate family labor.
- Compensation by sharing harvest or paying a price in produce, money, or both.
Types of Agricultural Tenancy
- Share Tenancy: Joint farming where landholder provides land; tenant provides labor, possibly other inputs; shares divided per contribution.
- Leasehold Tenancy: Tenant cultivates land for a fixed or percentage price, payable in money, produce, or both.
Key Definitions
- Tenant: Person cultivating land with household labor, sharing produce or paying fixed price.
- Landholder: Owner or possessor leasing land under share or leasehold tenancy.
- Agricultural Year: Time to raise seasonal crops including land prep, sowing, harvesting.
- Farm implements/work animals defined with fair rental value limits.
- Immediate Farm Household: Tenant’s family and dependents aiding farm work.
- Other terms clarified for legal consistency.
Establishment and Nature of Tenancy Relationship
- Arises from express or implied agreement.
- Entitles tenant to security of tenure until lawful dispossession.
- Relationship limited to actual cultivator and land provider.
Severance and Continuity of Tenancy
- Relationship ends by tenant’s voluntary surrender, death or incapacity.
- Tenancy continues despite contract expiration or land sale; successors assume rights and obligations.
- Contract terms continue unless modified; tenant’s security of tenure preserved.
Contracts: Freedom and Form
- Parties may contract freely except when terms violate law, morals, or public policy.
- Specific prohibitions on unfair share distribution and compulsory uncompensated services.
- Tenancy contracts must be in writing, quadruplicate, witnessed, signed, and registered with the municipal treasurer and court.
- Registration is free; contracts serve as conclusive evidence unless challenged within 30 days.
Change of Tenancy System
- Tenant may switch between share tenancy and leasehold tenancy.
- Written contracts require notice and one agricultural year to effect change.
Loans and Advances
- Interest capped at 8% per annum.
- Obligations for loans/advances must be in writing; violations penalized under Usury Law.
Final Accounting and Debt Settlement
- Final accounting required within 10 days post-harvest.
- Written accounting is conclusive unless fraud or error shown.
- Tenant pays debts from share produce or money; debts converted to money bear interest up to 10% per annum.
Protections: Exemptions and Weights
- Certain portion of tenant’s produce and farm assets exempt from liens or attachments.
- Official government weights and measures mandatory in transactions.
Jurisdiction and Disputes
- Ejectment and dispute cases under original and exclusive judicial jurisdiction.
Share Tenancy Specific Rights and Obligations
- Tenant may work elsewhere if farm duties allow; dwelling protections provided.
- Tenant entitled to indemnification upon dispossession for labor and expenses.
- Tenant must cultivate diligently, inform of trespass, care for animals/tools, and not abandon holdings unjustified.
- Landholder may determine crops, fertilizers, and inspect tenant's compliance.
- Landholder must provide tenant dwelling area and peaceful possession.
- Landholder prohibited from unlawful dispossession and shifting tax burdens.
Cost-Sharing and Auxiliary Crop Provisions
- Seeds returned to provider; fertilizer and pest control costs deducted from harvest and reimbursed.
- Irrigation construction costs borne by landholder; maintenance shared proportionally.
- Tenant entitled to 80% net produce from auxiliary crops.
Rice Share Tenancy Provisions
- Share of production divided based on contributions: land 30%, labor 30%, implements 5%, animals 5%, harrowing 5%, transplanting 25%.
- Lesser quality lands have adjusted shares of 25% land, 35% labor.
- Tenant controls timing and choice in certain agricultural operations.
- Pre-threshing without consent is prohibited.
Share Tenancy on Non-Rice Crops
- Parties free to stipulate division; tenant's labor share not less than 30% after expenses.
- Local customs prevail if more favorable to tenant.
Leasehold Tenancy Rights and Duties
- Tenant-lessee entitled to peaceful use and crop management under proven practices.
- Tenant entitled to half the value of improvements made.
- Rent payments capped based on land class and must comply with fair rental standards.
- Landholder-lessor may inspect premises without coercion.
Security of Tenure and Causes for Dispossession
- Tenant cannot be dispossessed except for lawful causes proven in court.
- Causes include landholder’s intent to cultivate personally or with machinery, tenant’s contract violation, non-payment, misuse of land, neglect of farm care, or criminal acts.
- Landholder bears burden of proof.
Duties of Government Officials
- Secretary of Agriculture to educate, revise rental rates, facilitate contract registration, conduct research, and report progress.
- Secretary of Justice to formulate enforcement programs and assign judicial resources.
- Public Defenders to represent indigent tenants.
Application and Enforcement
- Existing laws apply unless inconsistent.
- Doubts resolved in favor of tenant.
- Violations punishable by fines or imprisonment.
- Severability clause preserved Act integrity despite invalid provisions.
- Repeals inconsistent laws.
- Effective upon approval.
Rental Value Schedules
- Schedule "A": Rental value of work animals and implements based on depreciation and 6% interest.
- Schedule "B": Rental value of farm machinery similarly computed.
- Schedule "C": Charges for landholder-performed farm services capped at local rates.