Afterwards, they became a conservative force used by the government against the more radical tin miners. In contrast, the growing desperation of peasants who are being pushed off the land by timber companies and cattle ranches in Chiapas, Mexico, has led them to a state of revolt against the government since January 1, 1994. The Chiapas peasants view the North American Free Trade Agreement as a threat to their livelihood by exposing them to greater economic competition and as a force that will drive them off the land as foreign and domestic companies exploit the resources of Chiapas. The problems of peasants include unequal access to land. In many parts of the third world, peasants are denied access to land, even if they have legal title to it, by private armies of landlords.
Land ownership is concentrated in very few hands.
Landed elites translate their wealth into political power controling local politics to their own benefits. Lack of access to any services is par course as is unequal political access. Lack of hospitals, infrastructure such as roads to get products to market, schools and education is most evident in the rural areas. These areas have the highest levels of poverty and malnutrition as well. In some parts of the world, such as in Brazil, peasants have organized squatters movements to seize idle land.