ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the evidence on the mechanisms for the case of Punjab and Haryana. It assesses the available data on trends in agricultural land ownership and in access to land through tenancy arrangements, as reflected in the distribution of "operational" holdings. The chapter focuses on the extent to which loss of land by small and marginal farmers or eviction of tenants has added to the supply of agricultural laborers. Trends in the level of absolute poverty may be regarded as a function of the rate of income growth and the degree of income inequality. Michael Lipton argues that rural-urban inequality bears primary responsibility for the persistence of poverty in the face of overall income growth and stresses efforts to raise average rural income levels and overall food availability even at the cost of some increase in inequalities within rural areas.
