ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the theoretical void by formulating a theory of landlessness and nearlandlessness as a distinct socioeconomic process with profound political, economic, and geographical repercussions. The contextual foundation of the proposed theory primarily lies in Asian peasantries. Policies have been formulated and implemented to address the problem of growing landlessness. Under the rubric of rural-agricultural development, the World Bank has taken a lead and initiated a policy of developing what it generically calls "small farmers," a term which treats peasants as an undifferentiated class. The Marxist perspective on landlessness is directly related to capitalist development in agriculture; land becomes increasingly treated as a commodity and consolidated into large estates or properties. Population is an important variable in explaining landlessness and nearlandlessness in the societies undergoing rapid population growth.
