ejido
/ɛˈhiːdəʊ
/noun (plural ejidos)
(In Mexico) a piece of land farmed communally under a system supported by the state: [as modifier]: Mexico’s unique ejido land tenancy system...
- ‘There is no one left to defend the land,’ says Ángel, regarding a recent incident where a patch of trees had been cut down without the knowledge of the community - a direct violation of the ejido system of communal land use.
- In the name of free-market reform, Mexico privatized the ejidos - communally held land dating back to the 1930s land reform - at the same time as it eliminated trade protections for small producers, driving millions from the land.
- We have been late in making change in rural areas-we kept the community-owned ejido agricultural system for 90 years.
Origin
Mexican Spanish, from Spanish, denoting common land on the road leading out of the village.