Havana , Cuba ( CNN ) -- Peace negotiators trying to end Colombia 's blood-drenched , five-decade old civil war Sunday announced an agreement on land reform between the Colombian government and FARC rebels . The land reform agreement is the first of six points that negotiators need to broker to reach a peace deal . `` It 's a historic change , a rebirth of the Colombian countryside which could lead to an end to the conflict , '' said the government 's lead negotiator , Humberto de la Calle . Under the agreement , land not being used would be turned over to poor Colombians to cultivate . The government would provide loans and credits to the farmers . Impoverished areas of the countryside would also receive improvements in infrastructure , health care and housing . De la Calle said land that 's privately owned would not be affected . `` Urgent changes to the establishment are knocking on the door of the state , demanding citizen participation in political decisions and choices that would guarantee them a future with dignity , '' said FARC lead negotiator Ivan Marquez . Both sides cautioned Sunday that the land agreement would take effect only if an overall peace deal was reached . Government negotiators said that any deal that is struck would have to first be approved by national referendum before being implemented . The land deal was the first major sign of progress after six months of negotiations between the government and rebels in Havana , Cuba . Cuba and Norway are serving as guarantors for the talks , with Chile and Venezuela acting as observers . `` What has happened so far is part of a greater agreement which we hope to accomplish in the coming months , '' said Cuba 's representative to the talks , Carlos Fernandez de Cossio . Negotiators still have to tackle the difficult issues of how FARC rebels would disarm and the future of top rebel leaders who have been sentenced to prison for drug trafficking , murder and kidnapping . FARC leaders charge that government forces have illegally executed rebels and allowed right-wing paramilitary groups to carry out massacres . Thousands of Colombians have been killed and millions of others displaced during the civil war . Unusual arrest in Colombia involves fake nuns and cocaine . A closer look at Colombia with CNN 's Anthony Bourdain .
Land reform agreement is the first of six points that negotiators need to broker . FARC has engaged in decades-long bloody struggle against the government . The land agreement would take effect only if an overall peace deal is reached . TL;DR