Skip to main content

Land and Land Tenure

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Agricultural Development and Economic Transformation
  • 966 Accesses

Abstract

In both traditional and modernizing agriculture, area and quality of land farmed is the principal determinant of income potential. The essence of modernization is a large sustained increase in crop yields. That potential is influenced by the characteristics of land in traditional agriculture. This chapter describes characteristics of land, systems of land tenure, the potential for increasing land area, and sustainability and environmental issues in land preservation. Large-scale feudal farming once dominated large areas but now have mostly been converted to small commercial farms through radical changes in government. Systems dominated by small commercial farmers are most suitable to rapid agricultural growth and to poverty reduction.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 34.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Binswanger-Mkhize, H. P., Bourguignon, C., & Van Den Brink, R. J. (2009). Agricultural land redistribution: Toward greater consensus. Washington, DC: World Bank Publications.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Collier, P., & Dercon, S. (2014). African agriculture in 50 years: Smallholders in a rapidly changing world. World Development, 63, 92–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Janvry, A. (1981). The role of land reforms in economic development: Policies and politics. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 63, 384–392.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deininger, K., & Byerlee, D. (2012). The rise of large farms in land abundant countries: Do they have a future? World Development, 40(4), 701–714.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FAOSTAT. (2015). Food and Agriculture Organization (various years).

    Google Scholar 

  • Feder, G., & Nishio, A. (1998). The benefits of land registration and titling: Economic and social perspectives. Land Use Policy, 15(1), 25–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Financial Times. (2016, April).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirashima, S. (2008). The land market in development: A case study of Punjab in Pakistan and India. Economic and Political Weekly, 43(42), 41–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, B. F., & Mellor, J. W. (1961). The role of agriculture in economic development. The American Economic Review, 51(4), 566–593.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, B. F., & Kilby, P. (1978). Agriculture and structural transformation: Economic strategies in late developing countries. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, B. F., & Mellor, J. W. (1984). The world food equation: Interrelations among development, employment, and food consumption. Journal of Economic Literature, 22, 531–574.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, D. L., & Lewis, L. A. (2007). Land degradation: Creation and destruction. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mellor, J. W. (2002). How much employment can rapid agricultural growth generate? Sectoral policies for maximum impact in Rwanda (Occasional Paper No. 19). Bethesda: Prepared for United States Agency for International Development by Abt Associates Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mellor, J. W. (2017). Ethiopia: An African land productivity success story. Under review by John Mellor Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mellor, J. W., Weaver, T. F., & Lele, U. (1968). Developing rural India: Plan and practice. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosegrant, M. W., Ewing, M., Yohe, G., Burton, I., Huq, S., & Valmonte-Santos, R. (2008). Climate change and agriculture: Threats and opportunities. Eschborn: GTZ.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Mellor, J.W. (2017). Land and Land Tenure. In: Agricultural Development and Economic Transformation. Palgrave Studies in Agricultural Economics and Food Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65259-7_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65259-7_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-65258-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-65259-7

  • eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics