Rural household livelihood strategies in a Sri Lankan village

Abstract

This paper examines the household income‐generating strategies in a Kandyan village. Pushed by population growth, heads of households are forced to enter into increasingly complex relations with the outside world. Those with the initial advantage of larger landholdings are able to educate their children, find more secure sources of outside income and invest in agriculture productivity. The tenants and landless are forced to sell their labour, often outside of the village. The critical contacts for both owner‐operator and other households are increasingly channelled through local political leaders, which adds political differences to economic tensions.