6.1. Search criteria

As a team, we are searching for a piece of land in Paraguay.

This piece of land may or may not have:

• existing constructions on it.

• vegetables, fruits, and/or farm animals on it.

The land should match as many requirements of the initial group as possible. Some requirements are a must - they are flagged with [MUST]. Among dozens of lands i visited, i did find a few pieces of land that meet most criteria.

1. [MUST] The land is legally owned. To prevent legal issues, the person selling the land owns it. In Paraguay, it happens that someone tries to sell land that they do not own (they do not have the land title) or that they co-own.

2. [MUST] Not in an area where intensive farming is happening, especially soybean and maize plantations. In these areas, fertilizers are intensively used to produce three to four harvests yearly. It means that soil, water, and air may be loaded with toxins that may impact the People's health nearby. The negative impact, especially on health, may only surface after years. You can refer to this map (https://capeco.org.py/soja-satelital-es/) to find out where soybean and maize plantations are in Paraguay.

3. [MUST] The area should not be colonized by bugs, insects, or mites that make your life on the land miserable. In Paraguay, some areas can be colonized by bugs, insects, or mites that will sting, bite, or even lay eggs on your skin. This can negatively impact your life. One or two land visits may not allow you to know if there are insects, bugs, or mites and the owner will often not tell you because they seek to sell their land. The only way to know is to spend time on the land and/or to talk to People who live on the land or close to the land. You should also use your observation skills. If you see swampy areas you can foresee that these areas are breeding grounds for mosquitoes. If you see dense forests you can imagine that there may be bugs living in them. Do not forget that there is a high quantity of parasites in Paraguay.

4. [MUST] A land with a clear perimeter. The land's perimeter is registered in the land registry. A land surveyor must be used to have precise coordinates of the land's perimeter. This avoids purchasing land that is not delimited. You may buy a piece of land and start building but realize that you do not own this part of your land.

5. The land size should be at least 15 hectares. For example, a rectangle of 500 meters by 300 meters = 150,000 m2 = 15 hectares. There is a paragraph below explaining the thought process to determine the land size. At 5,000 USD an hectare that is 75,000 USD. 40,000,000 Gs a hectare (5,000 USD) is a common reference. Some lands are cheaper; the more hectares you buy the cheaper the cost per hectare.

6. [MUST] The land is not mostly flat but has some relief.

7. [MUST] Good elevation of the land above sea level.

8. [MUST] The land shape should be convenient such as a square, a round, or a rectangle. The length should not disproportionately exceed the width of the land (for example, if the length is 1,000 meters and the width 100 meters then the length disproportionately outweighs the width). Note that lands in Paraguay often have a strip-like shape, but we could acquire several strips to increase the width.

9. [MUST] The land should be at least 90 minutes away, by car, from Asuncion. The idea is to not be within the reach of densely populated areas. If mandates or social chaos were to happen, it is preferable to be on the side of it.

10. [MUST] The land connection to a concrete road should be good. It means that the connection between the entrance of the land and the concrete road does not exceed 10 minutes at a speed of 15 km per hour (around 2.5 kilometers) and can be used by a car with a ground clearance of 20 cm. The road should not be excessively bumpy. The road can be used after rainy days (some roads are flooded after the rain and it is very difficult to drive them with a car or a motorbike). Also, it should not be required to cross a river to get to the land (some pieces of land require you to go through a stream of water). We may be able to improve a dirt road or even create a road.

11. [MUST] There is a water stream on the land. We aren’t talking about a very small stream of water. Be careful, often, small water streams are advertised as small rivers. It’s best to have a river of at least a few meter wide. It can potentially be widened. The water flow should be good (2 to 3 cubic meters per second). Based on my experience, having a river with a significant water flow makes a massive difference. A hydro dam can be installed. The water is fresher than if it stagnates. Water that stagnates brings mosquitoes.

12. [MUST] A water source(s) is located on the land. If the water source is on another land, we could lose access to this water (if the owner of the source diverts the stream for instance). The water could also be polluted because of the activities done on the land where the water comes from. It could be a major risk for the activities we do on the land.

13. [MUST] The water stream is not polluted. The stream could be polluted for instance if the water comes from a field where animals are being raised (pee, poo of animals) or where chemicals are used for farming.

14. [MUST] The land should be partially covered with trees. An ideal ratio would be 50% of the land covered with trees.

15. [MUST] The soil is fertile. It means that we can grow plants in the soil. Assessing this requirement may require a soil expert.

    Note: soil that is in an open field has often been washed and burnt by the sun which means that it may be of poor quality. On the other hand, soil where there is a lot of vegetation may be high in nutrients. Even within the same area, you can have differences. Rivers can also influence the quality of the soil. Pay attention to soil erosion.

    List of soils found in Paraguay: alluvial, ultisols (podzolic soils), oxisols and alfisols (structured red earth), planosols (alfisols), quartz sands and lithosols (entisols), solonetz (aridisols).

    Type of soil by area (work in progress):

    • Colonia Iguazu: clay.

    • La Colmena: sandy.

    • Villa Florida: argyle.

    • Encarnacion: sandy.

16. [MUST] The soil needs to be of a good depth and not just rocks with a thin layer of soil.

17. [MUST] The soil should drain well to avoid the formation of a pool of water.

18. [MUST] No swampy areas. Swamps are a form of wetland. In Paraguay, you will observe areas where the water remains stationary. For instance, many fields are filled with water for part of the year and you can see the cows walking in the water. In a swamp, you will find parasites and insects.

19. [MUST] The land should be connected or connectable to an electric line of at least medium power (low power is 220V). If the land is not linked to the electric network, we need to factor in the installation. It is best to have a medium power line to arrive directly on the land (this prevents anyone from connecting to our electricity feed).

20. The land should be connected to public water. If this is not the case, we need to have access to water on the land. This means digging a well (artisan or classic one). Collecting rainwater may not be enough. Note that public water is likely highly chlorinated and possibly fluorated.

21. [MUST] An internet connection is available or can be installed. Preference for internet via fiber. If the internet is not installed, we need to install it either through an ISP like Personal, Claro, Tigo, or through Starlink. Some teammates do not want fiber as it is intrusive. Starlink could be an option.

22. [MUST] No communication tower nearby. As little electromagnetic frequencies as possible.

23. The view from several parts of the land is good. Often, People refer to an open view of the surrounding landscape.

24. There should be fruit trees on the land. Preferably fruit trees with decades of age. Example: mango, banana, lemon, orange.

25. A part of the land should have plain grass (an area with a limited number of trees/plants).

26. Exposure to the sun is good without being too much. A land with relief enables areas of shadow. For instance, in early morning and evening, the sun may be behind the hill. If we have a cliff then we may benefit from a cooler area. A river enables an area of trees. Some visited areas are constantly under the sun and the soil is unusable (the soil is burnt). This is often why the price per hectare is cheap.

27. The land has natural protection(s) and is not easy to enter. This goes beyond a barbel fence.

28. The land should have a fence or a physical border (a river, a dense vegetation area, a cliff, ...). If its borders are not fenced, we need to factor in the fence’s cost.

29. [MUST] Not under constant wind. Some lands are in wind corridors. For example, if you go to the top of the hills behind La Colmena, these areas are very windy. The land shouldn’t be too windy. Do note that the land may be in a wind corridor yet have natural protections against the wind such as cliffs, hills, or forests.

30. [MUST] Check if UNDRIP policies have any jurisdiction on the land.