ABSTRACT

This chapter presents the thoughts on the effects of land reform and reviews the most notable strategy implications of land and agrarian reform. From a research perspective, property is often conceptualized as a resource endowment to be allocated in the most efficient way to alleviate rural poverty and food insecurity. There is an assumed automatic link between commodifying of land and economic development. An important research finding is that economic development cannot be achieved by neglecting other elements in development policy. Technological change and capital accumulation are crucial factors for growth. Land and agrarian reform must be carried out after extensive investigation of the circumstances in the target country, and with carefully timed implementation of the various interrelating other activities and policies. The policy reform is an overarching priority because it is essential to most other dimensions of the standard model. The standard model should be seen as a policy blueprint.