Tenurial security and rural development : an evaluation of the HIRDEP project for the regularization of encroched land in Sri Lanka | |
| Author | Chandra, P. G. R. Sarath |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no. HS-90-23 |
| Subject(s) | Rural development--Sri Lanka Land reform--Sri Lanka |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Science, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. HS-90-23 |
| Abstract | It has been strongly argued that granting land tenurial rights to tillers would lead to agricultural improvement particularly in rural areas in developing countries where a strategy to increase the overall agricultural production is needed to mitigate massive rural poverty. Giving tenurial right was expected to motivate the tillers to get high production from their lands because it was assumed that having titles improves productivity and long term investments in two ways: by enhancing tenure security and by opening up access to institutional credit. This study was intended to examine these theoretical explanations by evaluating a regularization of encroached land project in southern Sri Lanka. The regularizing of encroached land had been used as a device essential to sound improvement of living conditions of encroached land holders through more productive agricultural utilization of the land. In effect, not only their living conditions but more widely, the overall situation of agriculture sector in rural economy was also expected to improve as an ultimate objective of regularization of encroache'd land. The project impact was examined in two ways. A general social assessment regarding the social status of encroachers, their attitudes on land title and the future condition of their children was attempted mainly using discussions and observations. The economic point of view was used to understand the changes in their agricultural activities. Through that, the changes that have taken place in the total yield, using productivity raising inputs, crop type, land management methods, and access to credit and extension services were examined. The study did not find any positive ~hanges towards the improvement of the condition of encroached farmers as a result of giving tenurial rights. It was found that the uncertainty of land tenurial security is in fact not a problem for which an immediate solution is needed. The confirmed tenurial security could not solve some of the other more pressing environmental and institutional problems. These problems were independent of the project influence. All these have seriously affected the agricultural production in the area more than the land tenurial rights and, therefore, the effectiveness of the project was either negligible or not felt. The study emphasizes the need to identify the real problems preventing agricultural improvement, to study the customary land tenure system before introducing the tenure reforms and provision of credit and other agriculture related services if real improvement is to be achieved through the land titling programs. |
| Year | 1990 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. HS-90-23 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology (SET) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Human Settlement (HS) |
| Chairperson(s) | Dias, Hiran D. |
| Examination Committee(s) | Weber, Karl E. ;Archer, Raymon W. |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Canadian International Development Agency; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1990 |