3.

2 Reading Notes
Tuesday 5 February 2019 18:50

The Nature and Direction of Agrarian Change

• in Pakistan it would be fair to say that once capitalism took root in

agriculture, it began to eliminate pre-capitalist and feudal modes. Capitalism
became the dominant form of production.
• Agrarian transition or change, by definition, implies movement from one
place or type to another.
• What is published by the Government Pakistan regarding agricultural
landholding patterns is usually based on the nature of tenure: 'owners',
'owner·cum-tenants', and 'tenants'
• 1950s: The main feature of Table 4.1 is that ownership was highly
concentrated. It seems that while both provinces had a highly differentiated
structure of land ownership, Sindh was far more inequitable than the Punjab.
• 1960s: In pakistan, tenant farms were the largest in number and acreage,
owner-cum-tenants were the smallest. Very different pattern of ownership
and tenure in the two provinces in the 1960s, with more owner-operated
farms in the Punjab, and greater tenant or sharecropper farms in Sindh.
• 1972: owner farms had replaced tenant farms as the largest category, owner-
rum-tenant farms remained the smallest category. The Qwner·operated area
in both provinces has increased somewhat over the period 1960-72
• 1980: Owner farms now constitute a simple majority in both number and
area in Pakistan
• Changes over time: Overall increase in owner farms and decrease in tenant
farms.
○ Like the number of farms, the area farmed fell consistently and
systematically for the tenant farmer between 1960 and 1990, the
farmed area of owner farms has risen considerably, most notably in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
○ In the category of small farms that are less than 5 acres, we see a large
decrease in their number and area between 1960 and 1971 but a
considerable rise in both during 1972- 30 and 1980-2000
• What do these numbers mean:
○ While the three systems of agriculture-peasant, capitalist and feudal-on
and do coexist, the trend has been for feudalism to give way to
capitalism, which emerges and consolidates itself, while a peasant
system is able to survive its onslaught.
○ the single most important feature of the transition in agriculture is the
fall in tenancy, The fall in tenancy between 1960 and 1972 is reflected
 ○ While the three systems of agriculture-peasant, capitalist and feudal-on
and do coexist, the trend has been for feudalism to give way to
capitalism, which emerges and consolidates itself, while a peasant
system is able to survive its onslaught.
○ the single most important feature of the transition in agriculture is the
fall in tenancy, The fall in tenancy between 1960 and 1972 is reflected
in the large decrease in the number and area farmed. The later rise in
both is not reflected by an equivalent rise in tenancy. There has been a
large rise in the number- of owners in the small category.
○ The category of 5-12.5 -acre farms shows a consistent. and sometimes
large. increase in all the inter-census periods, The growth of this
category is probably the result of the fall in the number and area
farmed in both the 12.5-25 and 25- 50 - acre groups during the period
1972-80
○ The increase in owners and the decline in tenancy suggests that more
and more landowners arc acquiring land from tenants and are going in
for self-cultivation, probably hiring in agricultural wage labour.
○ The dramatic increase in the area farmed by owners over the last four
decades may indicate that tenants have been displaced and land
brought under self-cultivation, or that many owners have bought land
from other landowners.
○ It is likely that more sharecroppers and tenants have become
agricultural wage workers than have migrated. This implies greater
marginalization.
○ The growth in small farms at the expense of medium and large farms
may be due to greater fragmentation of landholding caused by
inheritance.
○ there is some consolidation of holding taking place on the high side
(above 50 acres) in Sindh, with the hold of the extra-large Pakistani
landowner (over 150 acres) slipping. Consistent rise of the small farm.
○ The self-cultivators are either family farmers and peasants who hire in
labour.
The increase in the extra-large category suggests that these are
capitalist farmers who have resumed their land from sharecroppers
and probably hire in a large number of agricultural wage labourers.
These large landholders have bought land from the medium and large
farmers of between 12.5 and 50 acres, who have found it less
profitable to farm as competition has increased further.
○ the middle-sized farmer in the Punjab is of the capitalist type of family
farmer, while in Sindh this farmer employs sharecroppers. in the Punjab
the middle and poor peasants lease out increasing amounts of their
land to others, while in Sindh sharecroppers rent in land from landlords
• We observe that tenancy and sharecropping, essential cornerstones of
feudalism, have fallen drastically. both in the number of farms and in the area
farmed. Tenancy farms and sharecroppers have been replaced by owner·
operated farms. This is a major change in the pattern of agricultural
production in Pakistan and shows the direction for the future.
 land to others, while in Sindh sharecroppers rent in land from landlords
• We observe that tenancy and sharecropping, essential cornerstones of
feudalism, have fallen drastically. both in the number of farms and in the area
farmed. Tenancy farms and sharecroppers have been replaced by owner·
operated farms. This is a major change in the pattern of agricultural
production in Pakistan and shows the direction for the future.