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Citizen services

FAQ

​​Access the list of ​UPRA´s FAQ.

Preguntas Frecuentes
  • Are the guidelines for development and territorial planning formulated by UPRA binding?

    They are not binding. In accordance with articles 2 and 9 of Law 1551 of 2012, it is the function of municipalities to formulate and adopt both territorial planning and development plans "taking into account the instruments defined by UPRA for the planning and efficient use of rural land."

    ​​The provision is represented as optional, not imperative, concerning the regulation of land uses provided for in article 313, numeral 7 of the Political Constitution of 1991, developed in Law 388 of 1997, among other provisions.

    The same can be inferred for departments in light of articles 302 of the Political Constitution of 1991 and 29, numeral 2 (letters a and e) of Law 1554 of 2011, by which organic rules on territorial planning are dictated and other provisions modified, article 7 of Decree Law 1333 of 1986, and article 7 of Law 388 of 1997. The same applies to metropolitan areas as public administrative entities in accordance with article 319 of the Political Constitution of 1991 and articles 2, 6 (letter d), and 7 (letters a and c) of Law 1625 of 2013.

    Under the same consideration, taking into account what was stated by the Constitutional Court in judgments C-123 of 2014 and C-077 of 2017, the criteria, guidelines, and instruments proposed by UPRA, as constitutive elements of the agricultural sector public policy, must be agreed upon with the administrations of different territorial scales with an impact on territorial planning to ensure their coherence and general well-being. Therefore, their direct application by territorial entities is not mandatory. ​
  • Can a peasant reserve zone be established outside the agricultural frontier?

    Peasant reserve zones are considered colonization zones predominantly consisting of vacant lands with special agroecological, socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental characteristics that respond to a specific form of peasant identity. They aim to promote Comprehensive Rural Reform and contribute to territorial planning through participatory, negotiated, and balanced alternatives between peasant, family, community economies, and the environment. These zones have the primary function of closing the agricultural frontier and can encompass areas outside the agricultural frontier, as long as land use regimes, as outlined in their respective sustainable development plans, are respected. ​

  • Can municipal and departmental secretariats conduct additional investigations?

    Within the system, the integration of different information sources is considered to complement and contribute to thematic coverage with agricultural products representing the sector at various territorial levels. 

  • Does UPRA accompany or support municipalities in carrying out the EVA?

    UPRA has a team of professionals that provides municipalities with the necessary technical support to resolve concerns and issues that may arise in the use of the EVA web application. Through the helpdesk, municipalities can receive support from the assigned professional; contact is recommended at the email mesadeayudaEVA@upra.gov.co.

  • How are data on forestry activity obtained?

    The areas of commercial forest plantations are registered with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) and the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA).

  • How are pasture and forest coverages determined?

    Pasture and forest coverages are determined through the integration of other sources of information, such as the Land Cover Map, Corine Land Cover methodology adapted for Colombia, scale 1:100,000, and the agricultural frontier. However, the inclusion of a module for the registration of pastures and forages is not ruled out. 

  • How can one access EVA information?

    EVA provides different mechanisms for accessing information, considering user types: 
     
    • Web portal: information in Excel format and content for citizens. 
    https://www.upra.gov.co/web/guest/evaluaciones-agropecuarias-municipales-eva)

    •​ AGRONET: information in Excel format, for download and processing. 
    (https://www.agronet.gov.co/estadistica/Paginas/home.aspx?cod=59)
     
    •​ SIPRA: geographic component. 
       (https://sipra.upra.gov.co/ )
     
    •​ STRATEGIC DATA DASHBOARD: Strategic Information - Information outputs with graphs, statistics, and agile and consolidated queries. (https://upra.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/cb3bb41127214914b78caa8e6a509f3f) (https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/f63f655e2a534213848432434325f852/page/Perfiles-Departamentales/ )
     
    •​ ​Open data: (https://www.datos.gov.co/ )​​
  • How can speculative phenomena in the rural land market be avoided?

    Avoiding speculative phenomena requires progressive and coordinated actions of different natures by different State entities. Some actions include: 

    a. Information
     
    Facilitate access to information by implementing an observatory of the rural land market fed participatively by observers in the territory. This observatory should disseminate information related to land supply, demand, and prices, their dynamics, and effects on concentration phenomena, uneconomical fragmentation, and informality in property ownership and tenure.

    b. Formalization

    Advance in identifying wastelands and develop and implement programs to formalize public and private property to minimize uncertainty and risks associated with the transfer of ownership, which, in turn, provides greater legal security.
     
    c. Regularization
     
    Implement the Cadastre-Registry Interrelation

    Develop and implement the rural land appraisal index. 

    Promote territorial planning that establishes the qualification of rural land in terms of land use regulations. 

    Identify in planning the generating facts and actions that enable the application of management and financing mechanisms. 

    Application of land management and financing mechanisms that seek to capture the mobilization of land value increases generated by public decisions, the equitable distribution of burdens and benefits, as well as the financing of infrastructure works or improvements that contribute to the development of the agricultural and livestock territorial system and the envisaged occupation model for the territory.

    Likewise, innovate in national regulatory adjustment for adaptation and adoption for rural lands of existing instruments in urban land such as land readjustment.

    ​Update and ensure compliance with regulations related to the Family Agricultural Unit (UAF) to promote actions that result in the prevention of concentration, uneconomical fragmentation, and the respective material recovery.
  • How do the departmental agricultural secretariats participate in the EVA?
    The departmental agricultural secretariats play a strategic role in the process, primarily in the following aspects: 
    • They provide the necessary institutional support to promote the participation of municipalities in various training, socialization, and management spaces required for the development of EVA.​ 
    • They monitor and support the supply of information from municipalities to EVA, for which the web application has a control panel that allows monitoring progress in departmental coverage.​ 
    • They contribute reference and complementary information to EVA to strengthen the quality and traceability of information. 
    • They participate in improving information, seeking the harmonization of different levels at the municipal, departmental, and national levels.​
  • How is a transitory crop that is planted in one semester and harvested in another registered?

    The tracking is done for the planted areas, regardless of the harvest semester. It only needs to be considered whether the surface was harvested entirely or partially.​

  • How is flower production measured?

    Flower production is measured by counting the number of stems, converting it to kilograms depending on the weight per stem of the flower or forage species, and then converting the volume into tons.​

  • How will "backyard animals" such as poultry and pigs, and other livestock species be managed?

    Information on backyard animals, such as poultry and pigs, and other livestock species, is obtained from other sources, for example, the ICA and the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Authority (Aunap).

  • Is slaughter only registered if there is a registered processing plant?

    Slaughter is only registered in municipalities where a legal processing plant exists. 

  • Is there a departmental or municipal Productive Planning Plan that applies to the Gualivá Province?

    It is the function of UPRA to guide the formulation and execution of public policies for the planning of productive and rural property planning to promote efficient land use for rural agricultural development with a territorial focus. 

  • Should the time it takes for permanent crops to grow be considered?

    The vegetative period of each municipality's crops should be observed to verify if they are in development or in production. 

  • What Administrative Procedure does UPRA provide?

    Consult in the Information System for Rural Agricultural Planning UPRA.​​

  • What are the characteristics of the national agricultural frontier?

    Its delimitation is based on transformed territory dedicated to agricultural activities in rural areas. It is discontinuous and dynamic due to existing territorial planning categories, technological innovations, research, and the development of new practices. It recognizes the multifunctionality of the territory, allowing the inclusion of other services and activities compatible with the development of agricultural activities within the agricultural frontier. 
     
    For more information, refer to Resolution 261 of 2018 from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. 
  • What are the territorial and thematic scopes of the EVA?


    The EVA originates at the municipal level; however, as a system, it contemplates harmonization and integration with the departmental, regional, and national levels. This provides users with a base of information necessary for territorial planning, the formulation and development of productive projects, as well as guidance and definition of sectoral policies.

    Additionally, considering the demand from different users, the integration of information sources, such as associations, national entities, and territorial bodies, is considered, encompassing various agricultural products that will be part of the system. 

  • What happens if the municipality does not record information from municipal evaluations?

    The municipality will be affected since it will lack strategic information, and the system will have to undergo a supplementation process with other national and departmental sources.

  • What is an OPA?


    Defined by the Public Administration Department DAFP as "Other Administrative Procedures Facing the User": a set of actions that the user voluntarily takes to obtain a product or service offered by a public administration institution or a private entity exercising administrative functions within its competencies. Characteristics include non-obligation for the user and no cost.

    Source: Administrative Department of Public Function (DAFP) ​
  • What is informality in rural property in Colombia? How is informality determined?

    Currently, the country does not have a registry of rural real estate that is informally owned. However, UPRA calculates an informality index that estimates, identifies, and delimits areas with possible informality in land tenure at the predial level. This index serves as technical input in the planning process of the social and productive land ordering of the country.

    This index is calculated with the support of information from rural properties, mainly using cadastre and public instrument registration information, taking into account the following criteria: 
     
    Properties without real estate registration in the cadastral database. 

    Properties identified with improvements on someone else's property within the cadastral base.

    Unrelated properties in the Cadastre-Registry Interrelation Project (Icare). 
    ​​​
    ​​Properties with false tradition registered in the real estate registration folio. 
     
    Properties that meet at least one of the above conditions are counted as properties with indications of some informality situation and, therefore, are added to the total number of presumed informal properties for each municipality. In this way, the municipal informality index is formed throughout the country. 

    Regarding SEPP, how does UPRA differ from DNP? 
    ​​​
    The National Planning Department (DNP) sets the methodological guidelines for monitoring and evaluating public policies. UPRA adopts them to carry out the monitoring and evaluation of the social ordering of rural land ownership, the efficient use of land for agricultural purposes, land adaptation, and the rural land market.​ ​
  • What is the legislation and requirements for the purchase of land by foreigners?


    The b​​asic regulations regarding the purchase of land by foreigners include: 
     
    •​ ​Article 100 of the Political Constitution of 1991.
     
    •​ Law 9 of 1991, article 15.

    •​ Decree 1735 of 1993.
     
    •​ Decree 2080 of 2000 (Statute of International Investments) and its modifications (decrees 1844 of 2003, 4210 of 2004, 4474 of 2005, 1801 of 2007, 2466 of 2007, 4814 of 2007, 1888 of 2008, 1999 of 2008, 3264 of 2008, 3913 of 2008, 2603 of 2009, 4800 of 2010).
     
    •​ External Resolution No. 8 of 2000 of the Board of Directors of the Bank of the Republic and its modifications (R.E.8/00 J.D.).

    •​ ​External Regulatory Circular DCIN 83 and its modifications, sections 7.1. and 7.2.1. 
     
    Additionally, the principles governing foreign investment in Colombia must be considered:
    ​​
    a) Principle of equality in treatment: Foreign investment in Colombia receives the same treatment as national investment. Therefore, there will be no discriminatory treatment towards foreign investment, but neither will it be granted more favorable treatment.

    b) Principle of universality: Foreign investment is possible in all sectors, except for defense and national security; activities related to the treatment and disposal of toxic, hazardous, or radioactive waste not produced in Colombia; and private security and surveillance companies.
     
    c) Automaticity principle: The realization of foreign investment does not require authorization, except for special regimes in the mining, hydrocarbons, insurance, television sectors, and for investments made in the financial sector, which require, in certain cases, authorization or prior recognition by official authorities such as ministries or superintendencies.

    d) Stability principle: The conditions agreed upon at the time of the investment registration, regarding profits and capital remittances, cannot be changed afterward in a way that negatively affects the investor. However, in the event that the country's international reserves correspond to three months or less of imports, these conditions may be temporarily altered (this situation has never occurred in recent history).
     
    Regarding the allocation and acquisition of vacant lands by foreigners, Decree 1415 of 1940, article 5, states:

    ARTICLE 5. Vacant lands located on the national coasts and in border regions with neighboring nations, whether they are intermediate lots reserved by Article 52 of the Fiscal Code or non-reserved lots, may henceforth be awarded in accordance with the current provisions on the matter, exclusively to Colombian citizens by birth.
    ​​​​​​​​ 
    PARAGRAPH. Vacant lands acquired in accordance with this article may not be transferred to foreigners under any circumstances. ​
  • What is the national agricultural frontier, and what is its objective?

    The national agricultural frontier is defined as the limit of rural land that separates areas where agricultural activities, conditioned areas, protected areas, areas of special ecological importance, and other areas where agricultural activities are excluded by law, are carried out. Its objective is to contribute to the formulation and focus of public policy management for the agricultural, fishing, and rural development sector. It aims to promote efficient use of rural agricultural land, productive and social organization of rural property, and strengthen the productivity and competitiveness of agricultural activities. Additionally, it aims to contribute to stabilizing and reducing the loss of environmentally important ecosystems.

    For more information, consult Resolution 261 of 2018 from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. 
  • What is the process of validating information in the EVA?


    Starting from the information recorded by the municipality through the tools provided for this purpose, UPRA consolidates the database and validates it by applying quality criteria and considering historical, reference, and complementary information.

    Once possible inconsistencies are identified, they will be communicated to the municipality, initiating the analysis and updating process for the respective data. The system maintains the necessary documentation for information traceability to ensure transparency. ​
  • What is the purpose of the UPRA Administrative Procedure?

    The purpose of the UPRA Administrative Procedure is to obtain information on the orientation of land management policies for agricultural uses and the guidelines, criteria, and instruments to consider in the rural land planning and efficient use for the formulation of the Territorial and Development Plan of a territorial entity. It also evaluates public policies in these matters in the Colombian territory.

  • What is the purpose of UPRA?
    The UPRA aims to guide the territory management policy for agricultural uses through the planning of productive and social land use and the definition of guidelines, criteria, and instruments that promote the efficient use of land for rural development with a territorial focus. It also evaluates public policies in these matters in the Colombian territory.

    Source: Planning Advisory ​
  • What progress does the implementation strategy of the guidelines generated by UPRA present for reaching municipalities?

    Given that Law 1551 of 2012 states that municipalities must consider the guidelines and criteria generated by UPRA for the formulation of their development and territorial planning plans, national-level guidelines were formulated. These have a general character to guide rural territory management and can be taken into account by all municipalities in the country.


    Source: Pre-Accountability Hearing Survey 2013-214​
  • What support do departments and municipalities receive?

    For territorial entities, EVAs represent:

    • Available and useful information for territorial planning and decision-making. 
    •​ An information system providing access to unified and quality information. 
    •​ Technical support for the development of EVA operations in their territories. 
    •​ ​​​Access to various services and institutional support for rural agricultural information management. ​
  • What to do when there are new officials in Umata or no information is available in the municipality?
    Historical reference information for municipalities can be consulted on the Agronet portal, available at (https://www.agronet.gov.co/estadistica/Paginas/home.aspx?cod=59), which contains agricultural statistics at the municipal level for cultivated area, production, and yield for 270 crops, for the period 2007-2018.
  • Who can make adjustments and updates to municipal information in the EVA?

    Municipalities, as primary generators of information, are responsible for making necessary adjustments and updates at the municipal level of the EVA, considering technical supports and documentation supporting this process.​

  • Why not separate annual crops from semi-annual crops?

    Semi-annual and annual crops are transient, meaning they generate a single harvest; the only difference lies in the vegetative period.

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