Land and Income Mobility in Two North Indian Villages: A Note

Rithika Reddy and Madhura Swaminathan

Review of Agrarian Studies, 2025, vol. 15, issue 2

Abstract: This paper examines household-level mobility in land ownership and incomes over a 17-year period (2006–2023) in two villages of Uttar Pradesh—Mahatwar in Ballia district and Harevli in Bijnor district—based on panel data from the Foundation for Agrarian Studies’ Project on Agrarian Relations in India. Results show that mobility in land ownership was low in both villages, reflecting persistent agrarian inequality: about three-fourths of households remained in the same landholding class. However, some landless Scheduled Caste households acquired small plots through non-agricultural earnings and remittances, while a few large landowners experienced downward mobility due to division or sale of land. Income mobility, by contrast, was higher, driven by diversification into non-farm employment and migration. The findings reveal a widening disconnect between land-based and income-based mobility, highlighting that while income growth has improved living standards, land concentration and caste-linked disadvantage remain enduring features of rural Uttar Pradesh.

Keywords: Consumer/Household Economics; Land Economics/Use; Research Methods/Statistical Methods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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