Question

Mention the main cause of small holdings in India.

Answer 1

The main cause of small land holdings in India is the practice of inheritance by division of land among family members. When a farmer passes away, his land is divided equally among his heirs, usually sons. Over generations, this repeated division leads to the fragmentation of land into smaller and smaller plots.

As a result, most farmers end up owning very small and scattered pieces of land, which are often uneconomical to cultivate. This issue is especially severe in densely populated states where high population pressure on land further accelerates the fragmentation process.