Agrarian Relations and Poverty

In two previous papers, published in Jan-March and April-June 1992 issues of this Journal, we examined the changes in the agrarian relations in India in terms of changes in the distribution of operational and ownership holdings, changes in the magnitude and types of tenancy and economic conditions of agricultural labour households. In the present paper, we shall examine how diverse agrarian features such as concentration of holdings, magnitude and types of tenancy, in particular share tenancy, numerical preponderance of agricultural labour households, and so on impinge upon the general rural poverty and poverty among cultivating and agricultural labour households.