Who owns the land? Socio-cultural and economic drivers of unequal agrarian land ownership in climate-vulnerable coastal Bangladesh

Abstract

In agrarian society, land is a critical resource. Not only does access to arable land increase food security and household income, it also provides resources to cope with any environmental stresses. In most cases, in the low-income developing regions land distribution is very heterogeneous. Based on empirical research in coastal Bangladesh, this article explores patterns in land ownership among the local farmers, discussing how gender, ethnicity, religion, and status relate to farm size, playing a critical role in shaping the heterogeneous distribution of land ownership. Historical patterns of inequality and marginality influence land distribution patterns as the historical ‘Zamindar system’ in the region reinforced elite control. Colonial and post-colonial expansion into climate-vulnerable regions fuelled land expropriation. Cultural constructions of gender create challenges for females owning land. These legacies impact current land ownership patterns. Land distribution informs who is struggling with limited resources and who needs financial subsidies or other forms of support in times of crisis. Even though this paper has a regional focus, it provides critical insights and caution about overlooked assumptions of resource distribution, poverty, and development that can be applied to other parts of the Global South facing similar social, economic and postcolonial legacies.