Public Use Authorized South Asia Agriculture and
Rural Growth Discussion Note Series
Strategies to Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to
Land and Related Benefits in India
Promising State Initiatives to
Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to
Land and Agricultural Services
JUNE 2021
Photo credit: Rohit Jain – The World Bank
Strategies to Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to
Land and Related Benefits in India
Promising State Initiatives to
Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to
Land and Agricultural Services Photo credit: Rohit Jain – The World Bank
This discussion note presents the summary learnings from seven case studies of
government and non-governmental organization (NGO) initiatives to support
land-poor farmers—especially the landless, tenants, and women—
to access agricultural land, markets, finance, and services.
1. Overview
Context
Rural landlessness is common and is a strong predictor of poverty and vulnerability in India.
Although women’s active participation in farming has increased (partly due to male out-migration from rural
areas), they rarely have recorded land ownership rights, are not recognized as farmers, and lack access to
agricultural entitlements linked to land ownership.
Agricultural land leasing (tenancy) is an increasingly important strategy for land-poor farmers in India to
access land on flexible terms and without a large capital investment.
Land conflicts in tribal communities are becoming more frequent and intense in the absence of documented
land rights, and farmers in these communities are increasingly demanding written documentation of their
customary land rights.
While states have made good progress with digitizing land records under the Digital India Land Records
Modernization Programme (DILRMP), in many cases, the data do not reflect the current owner and/or
cultivator.
Farmers without updated land records are often unable to access agricultural entitlements, credit, and other
services that directly or indirectly use land records to determine eligibility.
Strategies to increase poor farmers' access to land and related benefits
The case studies highlight the need to strengthen vulnerable farmers’ understanding of their land rights and
improve their access to land administration services, especially for landless, women, tenant, Dalit1, and tribal
farmers.
‘Top down’ legal and institutional reforms (including to facilitate legal agricultural land leasing2) may be
needed to address some of these challenges.
The selected case studies illustrate effective ‘bottom up’ strategies and activities that can increase vulnerable
farmers’ tenure security and access to agricultural entitlements within existing legal frameworks:
Increase Land Access for Land-Poor Women Farmers. Subsidize land purchases by poor women farmers
and support women’s Self-Help Groups to lease land informally;
Help Vulnerable Farmers Access Formal Land Records. Support landless families (including women) to
obtain legal recognition of their informal land rights through government land allocation programs and
joint titling;
Informally Register Farmers’ Customary Land Rights in Tribal Areas. Support local tribal authorities to
record farmers’ long-term land rights and issue Land Tenure Certificates (LTCs); and
Build Farmers’ Land Rights Awareness and Last-Mile Access to Legal Aid. Train vulnerable farmers on their
land rights and eligibility for agricultural entitlements and provide legal support to help them resolve land
disputes.
1 Lower caste in the Indian caste system, grouped as Scheduled Castes as per the Indian Constitution. Literally means ‘oppressed’, denoting their
historical and societal suppression, marginalization, and alienation.
2 See the related discussion note: Agricultural Land Leasing Reform in India.
2 | Promising State Initiatives to Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to Land and Agricultural Services
2. Introduction record farmers’ customary land rights in
the Manipur Hills; and
g Professional Assistance for Development
1. This discussion note presents the summary Action (PRADAN) program in Odisha to
learnings from seven case studies that were help women’s SHGs access and cultivate
documented as part of the World Bank leased-in land.
study Land Policy Reform for Agricultural
Transformation in India. The objective of this 2. The remainder of this note presents a brief
analysis was to evaluate lessons learned from summary of the land tenure and administration
recent government and non-governmental context5, followed by a matrix highlighting
organization (NGO) initiatives to support land- the key characteristics, impacts, and issues
poor farmers—especially the landless, tenants, identified in the case studies and a discussion
and women—to access agricultural land, of some of the key lessons learned across
markets, finance, and services. This document these cases.
summarizes seven case studies3 spanning formal
and customary tenure regimes from six states
of India, from Kerala in the south to Manipur in 3. Rural Land Tenure
the north-east. The seven cases are: and Administration
a Kudumbashree initiative to lease land
to women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in
Context
Kerala;
b Indira Kranti Pratham (IKP)-Bhoomi Landlessness
program under the Society for Elimination
3. Rural landlessness is common and is a strong
of Rural Poverty (SERP) in Andhra Pradesh
predictor of poverty and vulnerability in
to enhance access to land for poor
India. According to the 2011 Socio-Economic
households4;
and Caste Census (SECC), over 56 percent
c Landesa and Odisha Tribal Empowerment of rural households do not own farmland
and Livelihoods Program (OTELP) (excluding homestead land adjacent to their
partnership to help landless families house)6. Landlessness is particularly prevalent
obtain formal land rights to homestead among members of Scheduled Castes (SC)
and agricultural land; (60 percent) and Scheduled Tribes (ST)
d Landesa and West Bengal State Rural (65 percent). The marginalization of Dalits
Livelihoods Mission partnership to provide in terms of land ownership, as well as their
legal training and assistance to help continued inability to possess lands allocated to
women register land in their names; them by the government, are well documented.
Landlessness also continues to be prevalent in
e Working Group of Women for Land states with large tribal populations, despite
Ownership (WGWLO) program in Gujarat legal provisions to protect tribal land rights
to provide legal training and assistance to and settle (allocate) government lands to
help women claim their legal inheritance them for farming and homesteads. Persistently
rights to land; high rates of landlessness—despite pro-poor
f Rongmei Naga Baptist Association (RNBA) legislation and government schemes to address
and NRMC Center for Land Governance
pilot program to assist tribal leaders to 5 For more information, please see the related discussion note:
Agricultural Land Leasing Reform in India.
6 Government of India. 2011. Socio-Economic and Caste Census
3 These case studies were selected based on their documented
2011: Households Land Ownership Pattern (Rural). Accessed 18
impacts and potential for scaling up across similar contexts in India.
May 2021 at: https://secc.gov.in/statewiseLandOwnershipRepor
4 Prior to bifurcation of the state. t?reportType=Land%20Ownership.
Promising State Initiatives to Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to Land and Agricultural Services | 3
it—is a worrying trend given that landlessness almost 14 percent (nearly 21.3 million) rural
is the best indicator of rural poverty in India7. households in India reported leasing in land in
2013. Most (86 percent) of these households
Women’s Land Rights are small and marginal farmers operating
less than 2 hectares (ha). Moreover, tenancy
4. Similarly, although women’s active incidence is likely under-reported due to state
participation in farming has increased (partly laws banning or heavily restricting agricultural
due to male out-migration from rural areas), land leasing. Despite these legal restrictions,
they rarely have recorded land ownership both the proportion of tenants among rural
rights, are not recognized as farmers, and households and the proportion of land cultivated
lack access to agricultural entitlements on tenancy contracts increased between 2002-
linked to land ownership. Women farmers 03 and 2012-1310. Thus, land leasing remains
face difficulties accessing land of sufficient a crucial land access strategy for land-poor
size and quality, and their names are rarely farmers. While gender-disaggregated statistics
reflected in the land records. In fact, most on tenancy are not available, anecdotal evidence
state land records lack a column for recording suggests that landowners are reluctant to lease
the owner’s gender and do not always record land to individual women farmers, who are seen
titles jointly in the names of husbands and as less capable farmers than men11 .
wives. Thus, while women constitute 65
percent of all agricultural workers in the
Customary Land Rights
country, they comprise only 14 percent of
all landowners with formally recorded land 6. Land tenure and governance in the hilly areas
rights. Without formal land records in their of north-eastern India are governed under
names, women farmers are not recognized uncodified customary laws, with autonomy and
as farmers and are typically excluded from protection under the Indian Constitution12. In
public and private agricultural services and these areas, land remains un-surveyed and lacks
entitlements8. Women also typically have formal records and maps. Instead, land is legally
very limited awareness of their legal rights administered according to customary tenure
and face difficulties resolving land issues in by tribal communities that have historically
the face of patriarchal customs, complex practiced jhum (shifting agriculture) under
laws and administrative structures, and weak two different tenure systems: (i) community
grievance redressal mechanisms. ownership of land in areas where jhum is
practiced, with households enjoying the rights
Tenants’ Rights 10 Government of India. 2013. Household Ownership and Operational
Holdings in India. National Sample Survey 70th Round. Accessed 17
5. Agricultural land leasing (tenancy) is an May 2021 at: http://mospi.nic.in/sites/default/files/publication_
increasingly important strategy for land- reports/Report_571_15dec15_2.pdf.
11 See the related discussion note: Agricultural Land Leasing Reform
poor farmers in India to access land on in India.
flexible terms and without a large capital 12 The Sixth Schedule under Article 244 (2) of the Constitution
investment9. According to the 70th Round of relates to those areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur,
Tripura, and Mizoram that are declared as ‘tribal areas’ and
the Land and Livestock Holdings Survey by provides for District or Regional Autonomous District Councils
the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), (ADC) for such areas that have wide ranging legislative, judicial,
and executive powers over all types of land, except for reserve
7 Hanstad, T., Nielsen, R., and T. Haque. 2008. Improving Land forests. These councils are given power to make law for, among
Access for India’s Rural Poor. Economic and Political Weekly: others: (i) the allotment, occupation or use, or the setting apart
43(10). of land, other than reserve forest, for agriculture or grazing or for
residential or other non-agricultural or any other purpose likely
8 Deo, S. 2020. Women and land in India: Connects and Disconnects,
to promote the interests of the inhabitants of any village or town
Land in India- 2020. Accessed 17 May 2021 at: https://www.
only except the compulsory acquisition of any land for public
centerforland.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Land-in-India-
purposes by the government of the state; (ii) the management
2020-28-FEB-2020.pdf.
of any forest except a reserved forest; (iii) the regulation of
9 Deininger, K. 2003. Land Policies for Growth and Poverty the practice of jhum or other forms of shifting cultivation; and
Reduction. Washington, DC: World Bank. (iv) the inheritance of property.
4 | Promising State Initiatives to Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to Land and Agricultural Services
to use the land allocated to them by a traditional inputs, that are increasingly being linked to
authority (typically a tribal chief or leader) documented land rights (see next paragraph).
and (ii) individual ownership of land, which is These land use changes have led farmers in
transferable only within members of the local tribal areas to demand written documentation
tribal community. Customary land rights are of their customary land rights.
typically undocumented. Moreover, customary
land governance structures often discriminate Land Records
against women’s ownership of land and their
participation in land-related decisions. 8. While states have made good progress with
digitizing land records under the DILRMP, in
7. Land conflicts in tribal communities are many cases, the data do not reflect the current
becoming more frequent and intense in the owner and/or cultivator. Over 91 percent of all
absence of documented land rights, and villages across India now have digitized textual
farmers in these communities are increasingly land records (typically known as the Record of
demanding written documentation of their Rights, RoR). However, the survey and re-survey
customary land rights. For instance, at least process (which updates the RoR and cadastral
one-third of the hill villages in Manipur are maps based on the current ground realities) has
estimated to be affected by land disputes. The been completed for roughly 3 percent of India’s
lack of proper documentation and enforcement land area according to the Department of Land
of land rights is a major source of conflict Resources as of April 2021. This could lead to
within tribal communities. Most land conflicts problems, as many vulnerable farmers who do
are caused by boundary disputes between have land records lack the knowledge and/or
villages and individuals. These conflicts are resources to formally update their land records
directly proportional to the increasing number following an inheritance, sale, or other transfer.
of development projects in these regions. In As such, the RoR may not reflect the name of
the absence of land records, compensation for the current owner(s), potentially leading to land
compulsory land acquisition is typically paid disputes that are difficult to resolve. Moreover,
to tribal leaders, and these funds are seldom most states only record land ownership rights
shared equitably within the community. At in the RoR, leaving out land use rights, such as
the same time, farming systems in the tribal tenancies. And, as already noted, the land rights
areas of Manipur analyzed in this study are of women farmers and customary landowners
changing from jhum to other land uses, such are also typically not recorded in the RoR.
as horticulture and paddy terraces. These Thus, although the Government of India has
new land uses require longer-term rights and recognized the DILRMP as key to doubling
longer-term investments. Farmers in tribal farmers’ income, the desired impacts may not
areas would also like to benefit fully from public be fully achieved unless the program explicitly
services and entitlements, such as subsidized promotes the inclusion of vulnerable farmers’
land rights in the land records.
Access to Agricultural Support
9. Farmers without updated land records are often
unable to access agricultural entitlements,
credit, and other services that directly or
indirectly use land records to determine
eligibility. For example, many central and
state direct benefit transfer programs—such
as the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi
(PM Kisan) scheme—rely on the RoR to
Photo credit: Ritayan Mukherjee – The World Bank
Promising State Initiatives to Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to Land and Agricultural Services | 5
confirm applicants’ status as farmers and/ in the states studied often have high vacancy
or the extent of their recorded land area. rates and increasing responsibilities beyond
The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana land records management. As a result,
(PMFBY) crop insurance scheme and public these departments have limited capacity to
grain procurement in some states that proactively identify and support vulnerable
practice decentralized public procurement farmers to (i) update their land records;
(for instance, Odisha) also use the RoR to (ii) access existing government programs
determine farmers’ eligibility. Many states also meant to support them; or (iii) resolve complex
require that the leaders of Farmer Producer land disputes.
Organizations (FPOs) submit copies of their
11. ‘Top down’ legal and institutional reforms
land records as part of the FPO registration
(including to facilitate legal agricultural land
process. Furthermore, commercial banks
leasing14) will be needed to address some
typically require land rights documentation,
of these challenges. In the meantime, the
usually the RoR, as a requirement to access
selected case studies illustrate effective
institutional credit. Many of India’s vulnerable
‘bottom up’ strategies and activities that can
farmers are therefore unable to fully benefit
increase vulnerable farmers’ tenure security
from agriculture and rural development
and access to agricultural entitlements within
programs, as they lack formal land records in
existing legal frameworks. These strategies
their names. As a result, India’s agricultural
can be summarized as follows:
transformation risks leaving these farmers
behind. a Increase Land Access for Land-Poor Women
Farmers. Subsidize land purchases by poor
women farmers and support women’s Self-
4. Proven Strategies to Help Groups to lease land informally;
Increase Poor Farmers’ b Help Vulnerable Farmers Access Formal
Land Records. Support landless families
Access to Land and (including women) to obtain legal
Related Agricultural recognition of their informal land rights
through government land allocation
Entitlements programs and joint titling;
c Informally Register Farmers’ Customary
10. The case studies highlight the need to Land Rights in Tribal Areas. Support local
strengthen vulnerable farmers’ understanding tribal authorities to record farmers’ long-
of their land rights and improve their access term land rights and issue Land Tenure
to land administration services. Vulnerable Certificates (LTCs); and
farmers—comprising landless, women, tenant, d Build Farmers’ Land Rights Awareness
Dalit, and tribal farmers—generally have and Last-Mile Access to Legal Aid. Train
limited awareness and understanding of the vulnerable farmers on their land rights and
laws governing agricultural land and limited eligibility for agricultural entitlements and
access to legal services to resolve land disputes. provide legal support to help them resolve
Moreover, while many states have programs land disputes.
to support women and landless households
to become landowners13, land administration 12. Table 1 summarizes the key characteristics,
services often struggle to effectively reach impacts, and issues identified in the case
vulnerable farmers. Land Revenue Departments studies.
13 See the related discussion note: Help Vulnerable Farmers Access 14 See the related discussion note: Agricultural Land Leasing Reform
Formal Land Records. in India.
6 | Promising State Initiatives to Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to Land and Agricultural Services
Table 1: Key Characteristics, Impacts, and Issues Identified in the Case Studies
Strategy Activities Key Actors/Roles Impacts/Issues Examples
I. Increase Land Access for Land-Poor Women Farmers
Subsidize Land Landless poor (mostly SC, Village Organization: Identified land, supported yy Increased number of landowners and average IKP-Bhoomi –
Purchases by Poor ST) women supported rate negotiation, aided sale transaction size of landholding SERP (Andhra
Women Farmers to purchase land with 75 District Purchase Committee (Chair: Joint yy Increased incomes by 30-75 percent and shifted Pradesh, AP)
percent grant, 15 percent Collector): Finalized sale and registered land income source from wages to cultivation (65-
loan, and 10 percent of 80 percent of total income)
the total amount paid yy Increased food security and decreased seasonal
upfront by the beneficiary migration
with registration fee, yy Enhanced social status of beneficiaries as
stamp duty, and transfer cultivators; decreased borrowing
duty exempted yy Land registered to women improved status
within the family
Subsidize Informal Provided lease fund to IKP: Facilitated new draft legislation to allow SHGs yy Increased access to farmland for the poorest of IKP-Bhoomi –
Group Land Leasing support landless poor to formally lease agricultural land the poor by 0.05 acres (average) SERP (Andhra
for Collective women’s SHGs to lease in Village Organization: Managed lease fund loans to yy Increased lease market participation Pradesh, AP)
Farming farmland informally SHG member families yy Increased land productivity
Support Informal Assisted women’s NRLM: Supported SHGs to organize collective yy Increased access to farmland Kudumbashree
Group Land Leasing SHGs to informally (group) farming in a cluster yy Increased productivity and farm income (up to (Kerala, KL)
for Collective lease contiguous land SHGs/Joint Liability Groups (JLGs): Organized 4x national average) (OD) Professional
Farming parcels from private farming education campaigns, resolved farming yy Diversification into high-value crops Assistance for
owners or informally challenges, helped farmers access formal credit Development
and some farm entitlements yy Labor pooling reduced labor costs
use government lands Action
(commons) with village CBO/NGO: Helped SHGs identify land and yy Landlords unwilling to lease for multiple
(PRADAN)
permission to facilitate negotiate with owners/village for its use seasons due to legal provisions
(Odisha, OD)
farmland aggregation, Line Departments: Supplied subsidized inputs, undermines long-term investment15
West Bengal
economies of scale credit, market linkages, capacity building (OD) yy Lack of formal lease undermines tenure security
State Rural
in production, and Private Landowners: Negotiated leases and increases risks (for example, rent increases
Livelihoods
mechanization Village: Allowed use of common land (OD) or non-renewal of lease)
Mission (WB)
Panchayat: Mediated fallow land access and yy Informal lease prevents tenants from accessing
leasing negotiation, endorsed informal leases (KL) government agriculture support programs
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment (such as input subsidies)
Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS): Land
development for JLGs (KL)
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD): Subsidized loans for
JLGs (KL)
Promising State Initiatives to Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to Land and Agricultural Services | 7
15 To address this, a government order set a minimum 3-year lease period for land developed using MGNREGS funds with panchayat concurrence (KL).
Strategy Activities Key Actors/Roles Impacts/Issues Examples
II. Help Vulnerable Farmers Access Formal Land Records
Support Landless Support landless families Community Resource Persons (CRPs) (literate yy Increased access to agricultural and homestead Odisha Tribal
Families to to obtain formal rights youth): Supported households to legally claim land land for 26,038 families Empowerment
Regularize to government land they (for example, in preparing applications) yy Increased productivity by 140 percent on & Livelihoods
Government Land already possess and/ NGO: Provided technical facilitation to overcome average Programme
Possession and or available government capacity limitations of the Land Revenue (OTELP)
Claim Available land through settlement yy Increased diversification into high-value crops (Odisha, OD)
Department; developed standard data collection
Government Land under existing legal forms, tools, manuals yy Increased household income 18x
as per Eligibility provisions; subsequent Reduced soil erosion and runoff; increased
investments in watershed OTELP: Provided additional technical expertise to yy
support the Land Revenue Department (such as infiltration and organic content of the soil
development
Data Entry Operators, retired Revenue Inspectors, yy Joint land titles for husband and wife enables
Surveyors) access to government schemes
Tehsildar: Reviewed applications and executed the yy Land registered to women improved their
process of land settlement confidence
III. Informally Register Farmers’ Customary Land Rights in Tribal Areas
Identify Tenants for Identify tenant farmers Gram Sabha: Verified tenants’ applications yy Landlord consent not mandatory, but many IKP-Bhoomi –
Loan Eligibility and issue Loan Eligibility Revenue Officers: Reviewed applications and landlords blocked their tenants from accessing SERP (Andhra
Cards (LECs) issued LECs an LEC due to fear of losing their land under AP Pradesh, AP)
Tenancy Act, 1956
Banks: Sanctioned loans to tenants with LECs
yy Limited loan issuance due to bankers’ poor
awareness of the Act/LECs
Issue Customary Mapping of horticultural Village Youth: Mapped parcels and collected yy Pilot completed in 5 districts with potential to Rongmei
Land Tenure parcels, community landholder data using survey scale up to meet farmers’ demands for greater Naga Baptist
Certificates lands, and village NGO/CSOs: Trained and provided technical individual tenure security Association
boundaries through support to youth surveyors; supported village yy Involvement of traditional leaders critical to (RNBA)
DGPS-linked mobile leaders to develop community specific LTCs; liaised build trust and buy-in (Manipur Hills)
application; traditional with government departments
village authority issues yy LTCs can be used to access agriculture
Land Tenure Certificate Village Chief/Council: Issued LTCs programs and compensation; expected to
increase investment incentives
8 | Promising State Initiatives to Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to Land and Agricultural Services
(LTC), with joint titles for IT Consultants: Developed mapping app
husbands/wives yy Greater involvement of government entities
needed to ensure that LTCs are accepted as
legitimate documentation
Strategy Activities Key Actors/Roles Impacts/Issues Examples
IV. Build Farmers’ Land Rights Awareness and Last-Mile Access to Legal Aid
Support Women to Create awareness on Paralegals (local women): Raised awareness and yy 8,818 women received inheritance rights and Working Group
Claim Inheritance inheritance rights and supported women throughout process titles in their names, enabling 7,551 of them to of Women
related legal provisions; Land Resource Center: Interfaced with block access agricultural entitlements from 2013-19 for Land
support women to level government departments to resolve cases yy From 2017-19, secured average of 0.60 acres Ownership
negotiate with family and and helped women access agricultural training/ per woman and government benefits totaling (WGWLO)
obtain legal heir rights programs INR 61 lakh (USD 84,138) (Gujarat)
NGOs: Trained paralegals and Revenue Officers yy 7,241 landowner and non-landowner women
and hosted Land Resource Centers farmers were trained by the Agricultural
Revenue Officers: Reviewed inheritance Technology Management Agency/Krishi Vigyan
documentation, issued legal heir certificates Kendras (KVKs)
WGWLO + Legal NGOs: Hosted legal clinics to yy 2,575 women farmers adopted sustainable
build capacity of paralegals to address technically agriculture practices
complicated inheritance disputes yy Reduced time and cost of securing land by 10-15x
Line Departments/KVKs: Provided agricultural to INR 1,000 (USD 13.7)/person on an average
entitlements/training to farmers yy Financial sustainability is a challenge, especially
since Land Resource Centers operating from
government offices cannot charge fees
Resolve Land Resolve land disputes Paralegals (community youth): Trained to help yy Title and possession secured to 430,000 (4.3 IKP-Bhoomi/
Disputes, including and help land grant the poor resolve their land conflicts (AP) lakh) households (AP) IKP-Giri
to Enable Land beneficiaries secure Community Surveyors (technically qualified yy No transaction costs (reduced expenditure) (AP) Nyayam16 –
Grant Beneficiaries possession of lands youth): Developed land inventory with maps (AP) yy On average 43,842 families each got 1.2 acres SERP (Andhra
to Benefit from legally allotted to them Village Conference: Redressed land-related of land developed under MGNREGS (AP) Pradesh, AP)
their Land by the government grievances and apparent land disputes, protected Odisha Tribal
yy 280,000 (2.8 lakh) families accessed credit (AP)
by: developing a land legal land rights of the poor (AP) Empowerment
inventory of the land yy Benefit-cost ratio: 9.24 (AP)
Legal Coordinators (law graduates): Supported & Livelihoods
rights of poor farmers, yy State Government issued Government Order No. Programme
paralegals and community surveyors (AP) 1148 to constitute committees at various levels
including SC/ST; (OTELP)
providing free paralegal Land Managers (retired Tehsildars or Deputy (state, district, divisional, mandal) and meet as (Odisha, OD)
aid and technical and legal Collectors): Managed district land centers and often as needed to resolve the land issues of the
support; coordinating with liaised with the Land Revenue Department (AP) poor identified by IKP land staff (AP)
government departments; Revenue Divisional Officers: Deputed to project to yy Title and possession secured for 17,427 tribal
facilitating convergence coordinate with the Land Revenue Department (AP) households (11 percent farmland and 89
with MGNREGS for land Tehsildars: Deputed to project to supervise mandal percent homestead land) (OD)
development and with (block) level work (AP)
subsidized credit programs
16 The IKP-Bhoomi program found that tribal people were not able to resolve their land disputes, despite the existence of strong legal protections and tribal development programs. As such, the SERP initiated
Promising State Initiatives to Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to Land and Agricultural Services | 9
a land dispute resolution program specifically focused on tribal communities called IKP-Giri Nyayam.
Strategy Activities Key Actors/Roles Impacts/Issues Examples
Zilla Samakhya: Hosted land centers to provide yy Government of Odisha scaled up the work to
single window for land services (legal and survey 18,000 villages in 118 Tribal Sub Plan blocks
assistance, records access) (AP) across 12 districts in 2012 (OD)
MGNREGS: Land development for the poor (AP) yy Project (which also included watershed
Law University: Trained Legal Coordinators and development activities) increased annual
paralegals to support tribal cases (AP) household farm production by 140 percent
CRPs (literate youth): Supported tribal landless (OD)
households to legally claim rights to government
land, including by inventorying their lands, helping
them prepare their applications for government
land grant programs, and following up with the
Land Revenue Department on their applications
Build Legal Trained women farmers Master Trainers: Trained SHG leaders at Gram yy Increased legal awareness and enhanced West Bengal
Awareness on land issues, such as Panchayat (cluster) level (WB) capacity of women farmers to access State Rural
of Women on land uses, ownership, SHG Leaders: Trained their members (WB) government services related to agricultural land Livelihoods
Land Rights formal rights documents, NGO: Developed training content and trained yy Increased access to agricultural land, credit, Mission (WB)
and Agricultural and land transaction district level (master) trainers (WB, GJ) extension, markets, and diversification (in Working Group
Entitlements procedures, as well as combination with informal leases – see above) of Women
State Rural Livelihood Mission: Managed program,
on collective farming yy 8,818 women accessed inheritance rights to for Land
human resources (WB)
and their eligibility for land, and 7,551 women claimed agriculture- Ownership
land-related government Paralegals: Built legal awareness and demand,
based public services entitlements from 2013- (WGWLO)
schemes assisted women with inheritance claim
19 (GJ) (Gujarat, GJ)
applications, provided legal aid, coordinated with
government officials (GJ) yy Women farmers secured an average of 0.60
Swa Bhoomi Kendras: Facilitated legal aid and acres each and INR 61 lakh (USD 84,138)
access to land and farm entitlements, interfaced worth of public services were mobilized from
with government officials, promoted sustainable 2017-19 (GJ)
agriculture among women farmers (GJ) yy 2,575 women farmers (of which two-thirds
Legal Clinics: Addressed complicated cases (GJ) are tribal) shifted to sustainable agriculture
practices from 2017-19 (GJ)
yy Land access cost reduced substantially (by a
factor of 10); 40 percent of the respondents
10 | Promising State Initiatives to Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to Land and Agricultural Services
accessed land within 3 months and 78 percent
within 12 months (GJ)
yy Created demand to scale up to 750,000
members across 106 blocks in 2020-21
5. Lessons Learned Build vulnerable farmers’ awareness
of their land rights, related laws, and
agricultural topics
13. Looking across the case studies, it is clear there yy Train women farmers on inheritance
are solutions emerging to address the complex rights and procedures for claiming
nature of developing inclusive and accurate rights.
land records that secure the rights of vulnerable yy Train vulnerable farmers (especially
farmers. Several common approaches can be women and SC/ST members) on
scaled up to enhance vulnerable farmers’ access relevant land laws and procedures to
to land and government agriculture support access land services and resolve land
programs. They are as follows: disputes.
yy Combine land-related training with
Expand Land Administration Resources,
Capacity, and Services training on sustainable production
models, marketing, and agricultural
Build government-NGO-community
entitlements linked to land (such as
partnerships to improve land service
input subsidies and credit).
delivery
yy Provide a multi-level legal support Increase Land Access and Tenure Security
structure aligned with the Land for Vulnerable Farmers
Revenue Department hierarchy (state, Subsidize land purchases by land-poor
district, block, and village levels) to farmers (especially SC/ST members and
facilitate coordination. women), offer easy access to credit, and
yy Use existing community institutions waive fees/duties (for example, stamp
(such as SHGs and JLGs) to provide duty).
legal training and aid. Support group land leasing on private and
yy Leverage retired officials, law graduates, government land for collective farming, and
and legal experts to provide on-going use government orders to bolster tenant
support and/or periodic legal clinics to farmers’ rights and ensure their access to
resolve tough cases. agricultural services.
Build local capacity for gender-sensitive yy Identify fallow private and government
and pro-poor land service delivery land for cultivation by landless/land-
yy Train local institutions (Gram poor farmers.
Panchayats) and/or local resource yy Facilitate lease negotiation and
persons to inventory government/ enforcement.
fallow lands and landless/tenant yy Improve security of informal lease
farmers and support vulnerable agreements through Gram Panchayat
farmers to: (i) secure land access endorsement.
arrangements; (ii) update their land Train local youth as CRPs (in line with the
records; and (iii) document and resolve National Skill India Mission) to use low-cost
land disputes at low cost. technology (such as tablets) to inventory
yy Train revenue officials to resolve land and survey land and provide simple land
issues facing vulnerable farmers, services, including dispute redressal, while
including women and SC/ST members. also creating local livelihoods opportunities.
yy Develop standard training manuals, yy Support vulnerable landowners, espe-
data collection forms, and other tools, cially women and SC/ST members,
and build local capacity and institutions to resolve disputes and update their
for their regular execution. formal land records.
Promising State Initiatives to Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to Land and Agricultural Services | 11
yy Inventory landless households and Converge and Coordinate Delivery of Land and
government land and facilitate land Agriculture Services
grants and joint titles. Organize single window land service delivery
yy Support customary authorities to at the local level (Gram Panchayat/block or
document farmers’ long-term rights Tehsil/district).
to horticultural land in tribal areas
Promote inclusive agricultural transformation
(jointly for husbands and wives).
by linking land access and tenure security
yy Identify tenants for access to schemes with government agriculture support
agricultural entitlements (such as schemes and assisting vulnerable farmers
LECs). to access fallow land development (under
Provide legal aid to support land grant MGNREGS), agricultural training, services (for
beneficiaries to possess/benefit from example, credit and marketing), and other
their land. entitlements.
ABOUT THE DISCUSSION NOTE SERIES
This note is part of the South Asia Agriculture and Rural Growth Discussion Note Series, which seeks
to disseminate operational learnings and implementation experiences from rural, agriculture, and food
systems programs in South Asia. It is based on the findings of the Land Policy Reform for Agricultural
Transformation in India Study under the India Agriculture and Rural Development Advisory Services and
Analytical Program. The other notes in this series include:
• Increase Land Access for Land-Poor Women Farmers
• Help Vulnerable Farmers Access Formal Land Records
• Informally Register Farmers' Customary Land Rights in Tribal Areas
• Build Farmers’ Land Rights Awareness and Last-Mile Access to Legal Aid
• Agricultural Land Leasing Reform in India
Authors: Mercedes Stickler, Pranab Ranjan Choudhury, and Samik Sundar Das
Series editor: Mercedes Stickler
Acknowledgements: This note has been co-funded by the South Asia Research Hub – Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Government of UK, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
(BMGF), and the World Bank. Overall technical guidance was provided by Gayatri Acharya, with comments
received from Manivannan Pathy, Mridula Singh, and Patsy D’Cruz.
Disclaimer: The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the UK
Government’s official policies, Gates Foundation policies, or the policies of the World Bank and its Board
of Executive Directors.
12 | Promising State Initiatives to Increase Poor Farmers’ Access to Land and Agricultural Services