Journal of Land and Rural Studies

Land that has legacies of tenure reforms offers scope for studying its relationship with contemporary dynamic land markets and increasing urban influence. This article seeks to locate the association of interventions in land tenure with the increasing urban influence and spurt in land markets of Kerala, an India state renowned for land reforms. Based on review, analysis of interventions initiated in Kerala is attempted to understand the changes in tenure and its impact on land markets and urban form. The role of the land reforms in distributing scores of title deeds by way of abolishing tenancy as well as hutment land were seminal in increasing the land ownership, but also contributed to activating land markets and rural–urban transformation. Results also indicate that in the absence of periodic introduction of proper land governance structures, land markets can also lead to imperfections and distortions.

The article focuses upon the relationship between agrarian relations, mode of land acquisition by the state and insurrections that took place in India after 1947. It attempts to analyse the linkages of land relations between peasants and landlords. More specifically it looks at the nature of association with the land, changes occurred in the nature and perspective of relationship due to changes in the perspective towards development. It analyses how the changing role of state in acquiring the land for developmental outcomes has led to variety of social uprisings in the form of insurrections. Insurrections are modest attempts to alter the power relations of the society with reference to land ownership and rights. Insurrections are challenges to the outcome of good governance. There is a need to design proper governance institutional arrangements to contain the insurrections arising due to land conflicts in the process of pursuit of development.

Millions of people around the world face difficulties related to the land where they live, work, grow crops, tend animals and run businesses. Even though they or their families may have lived on the land for many years, it is a serious obstacle that they have no formal relationship to it (UN-Habitat, 2012, Handling land: Innovative tools for land governance and secure tenure, Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Human Settlements Programme). Competition for land is intensifying because of rapid population growth, unregulated urbanisation, land conflicts, climate change, food, water and energy insecurity among others. Coupled by historical injustices and unlawful evictions, many people particularly in developing countries are becoming landless. Although many countries have completely restructured their legal and regulatory framework related to land and they have tried to harmonise modern statutory law with customary ones, millions of people around the world still have insecure land tenure and property rights (UN-Habitat, 2014, Land tenure security in selected countries. Synthesis Report, Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Human Settlements Programme). It is now well recognised that secure land and property rights for all are essential to reducing poverty, because they underpin economic development and social inclusion (UN-Habitat, 2008, Secure land rights for all, Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Human Settlements Programme/Global Land Tool Network). Uganda like many other countries has embarked on massive reforms to improve land tenure security. The development of a computerised land information system, decentralisation of land governance and development of national land policy are included among the many efforts (Ahene, Nsamba-Gayiiya, & Satana, 2013, Land sector strategic plan, 2013–2023, Kampala, Uganda: Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development). Despite tremendous efforts, land tenure insecurity persists in the country. This article provides a review of land ownership and existing initiatives to improve tenure security in Uganda.

In the pre-independence period, Gujarat the Rayatwari system was predominant in the presidencies where land rights were with the tillers, who were subjected to regular payment of revenue. Tenants in Gujarat and Saurashtra were mostly Patidars by caste. They had become politically powerful by the time of Independence due to participation in the Indian freedom movement under Gandhi. Since they were the beneficiaries of reforms, they had enacted progressive laws., land reforms have met with mixed success in achieving equitable distribution  of land. The intermediaries between the state and the actual tillers have been removed, but efforts to provide land to the tiller have not been successful even though the distribution of land has become a little less unequal. Although the number of tenants has come down, unwritten contractual arrangements have increased. Thus, large-scale concealed tenancy still exists. So is the case with reverse tenancy-leasing-out land by marginal and small farmers to medium and large farmers, incidents which have increased in recent time.

The study empirically measures the pattern and extent of rural transformation in India using a comprehensive assessment system based on three multidimensional indices, namely rural development index, rural transformation index and urban–rural coordination index. The constructed rural transformation index shows that rural India has undergone a sweeping transformation during the decade of sharp economic growth. The transformation that occurred in India is accompanied by an improvement in the rural development level. The analysis indicates that India’s urban–rural coordination has slightly declined between 2001 and 2011. In addition, large regional disparities in rural transformation are shown. Based on findings, it is argued that policies aimed at region-specific rural transformation types may be an effective way to shape a more integrated urban–rural development pattern in India.

Policy approach to rural development in independent India has evolved through various stages. Limited success of different initiatives prompted setting up of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) as statutory local self-governing bodies for securing faster rural development through greater grassroots empowerment. After a couple of decades of the 73rd Constitution Amendments that instituted the PRIs, it was felt necessary to ask whether PRIs had succeeded in percolating power to the grassroots, and if so, whether such empowerment expedited the pace of development in villages. In pursuit of this composite question, a field investigation was carried out in six carefully selected villages in Assam in 2012. Development attainments and improvements in such attainments have been found to be higher in the villages where institutions of grassroots empowerment have taken deeper roots. The study makes a case for deepening of the grassroots empowerment process for expeditious overcoming of the backlogs in rural development.

India is home to a diverse number of indigenous tribal groups collectively known as the ‘adivasis’. As part of a tribal development strategy, the Indian government extended the public school system to serve rural tribal areas. This qualitative study explores the efficacy of the rural school system as a means of promoting social mobility among the Santal, Birhor, Kharia, and Lodha tribes located in the state of West Bengal, India. The findings indicate that rural schools have poor facilities, lack resources, and offer environments that are not conducive to academic success by the majority of tribal students. The research also reveals how the challenges faced by tribal children in rural schools are exacerbated because of a lack of cultural competency on the part of education professionals who design and deliver the curriculum. Thus the schools largely fail in preparing tribal students for even the bottom rungs of the Indian labour market.

Land tenure system is the relationship between land and people, as individuals or groups, legally or customarily. Tenural security of land has far reaching implication; in one hand it reduce disputes, conflicts and uncertainty and vulnerability of poor and promote sustainable development, on the other it makes easy for transfer of land for more efficient use. Even after creation of numbers of acts, the tenural right is a matter of concern in Bihar. The situation is worse for sharecropper and women. This article analyses the status of land tenure security and available legal framework to ensure women right over land. It is found that there is hardly any record and recorded right to ensure right of sharecroppers. Although the law confers the equal right to women in their paternal property, but in practice this is not very common in India including Bihar. There hardly exists legal provision to ensure right of women over land and even if it is there, it is not implemented properly. Except some recent initiative, through which transfer of land to weaker section recorded in name of female member of family, there is no such legal provision to ensure women right over land.