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Introduction:

Bangladesh is a very small country with an area of 144,000 square kilometres. The total population is more than 162 million. 85 percent people are living in the rural areas and dependent on agriculture. The total arable land is around 67 percent. 70 percent of total population are landless who are also engaged in agriculture and land. Different types of international policies, especially the policies imposed by WB/IMF hurt the rural communities exacerbating landlessness, displacement pauperisation, malnutrition, etc. In such a circumstance a genuine and comprehensive agrarian reform is a must. However, lack of political wills the issue of land reform remains ignored over the years.

 Fights for an Agrarian Reform:

Demand for an agrarian reform emerged from the left periphery in forties of the last century. In sixties and seventies it became one of the commitments of the manifesto of the left political parties. In seventies after the liberation war there was an austere expectation that the government of the independent Bangladesh would take the initiative for a comprehensive agrarian reform for the benefit of the peasants with a far reaching aim of reducing the gap between the people of countryside as well as urban areas. It was also the constitutional obligation of the country. But people unfortunately witnessed nothing but some simple circulars around fallow land aimed at distributing the rural distressed people. Even it did not work out in proper order. Rather it created lot of troubles in the rural areas resulting in massive corruption, nepotism, and irregularities.

In seventies and eighties a huge movements and struggles took place led by different peasants’ organizations at different places in the country. In almost every action, demand for a concrete land manual in behalf of the landless people was put forward to the government. Under the pressure of popular resistance and that of WB (That time World Bank was in favour of conventional land reform), the then autocratic government was forced to introduce a manual called “Land Administration Manual’87”. It was the first complete legal paper that ensures the rights of landless people on the Khas agricultural land. In 1991 this manual was revised and called “ Land Settlement and Management Manual” with no change in the contents.

In 1997 the government introduced a new land manual called “Agricultural Khasland (the land of which no ownership; so the government is the legitimate owner) Settlement and Management Manual” changing the definition of landless and reducing the right of landless on the Khasland. They actually abolished the different categories of the landless people and the definition of landless is revised as one that prioritises the family who does not own any land for homestead as well as arable land. In the previous manuals, there were three categories of landless families who were entitled to the land on priority basis. Moreover, one family was entitled to enjoy two acres of Khasland but in new manual one family was entitled to one acre.

The new manual was protested by BKF, and a memorandum containing the necessary suggestions was submitted to the then Prime Minister. Later at the instruction of the Prime Minister the Minister of Land called a meeting for discussion on the draft manual and heard the arguments of BKF. Finally the government decided to give away one and half acres of land to each landless family but did not get away from the new definition. The decision of giving away one and half acres of land was accepted at the end because the government was supposed to take initiative to distribute the Khasland among the landless immediately. In fact, they started implementation activities in this regard in 2000 at the last year of their tenure. In 2001 a new government coming in power suspended the settlement process and it was not revived any more.

 Official Agrarian Reform Policies:

– No particular official policy as regards agrarian reform in Bangladesh.

– No vision for introduction of policies for a comprehensive agrarian reform

– An agricultural policy is available emphasising the over-production based on hybrid seeds provided by the TNCs.

– No policies to restore, preserve, conserve, and protect the domestic seeds, which are disappearing.

– Sometimes efforts are made to say from the government side that distribution of Khasland among the landless is land reform. Indeed, it is partial approach towards land reform.

– Market led land reform concept floated by WB influenced the government policy but fortunately found no execution.

– Land ceiling system exists which has two prongs. One is that those who already own 100 Bighas of land cannot buy land more. Another is who want to buy the land cannot buy more than 60 Bighas of land. This ceiling is not being implemented properly. The ceiling excess land never goes to the landless farmers. Rather the owners of the land enjoyed more land in different names belonging to the same family. Furthermore, there is no ceiling system in the urban riches. They are buying land and doing real estate business including housing. This real estate business is pushing the urban poor out of the city.

 Different Types of Views Around Agrarian Reform:

There are some group thinking the fact that a revolutionary agrarian reform is needed. Some think land should be nationalised. Few people think land should be with those who can use the land with proper agricultural inputs. BKF thinks based on the experience of the land movement in the context of Bangladesh that agrarian reform as well as land reform should be distributive which ensures the ownership of small farmers on the land, right to grow the crops they are used to, and to grow culturally appropriate healthy food.

A genuine and comprehensive land reform with a view to achieving food sovereignty in ecological farming method is expected----- ecological farming which has highest priority on the role of nature, especially the regeneration process of nature. Ecological agriculture is only way to reduce the present crisis of food at the global level.

 Activities of BKF around Land:

Since its inception in 1976 Bangladesh Krishok Federation started land based action for the benefit of landless peasants. It started a survey on the immediate expectation of small peasants in the rural areas and the result came out with the demand of piece of land that would ensure their lives and livelihoods.

Taking into account the need of small peasants BKF began variety of action so that the government would take proper steps to recover the Khasland which local big land owner enjoyed over the year illegally and to distribute the Kashland among the landless peasants. Having no proper
response to the demands of BKF put forward in different action it has taken over 4 Khaschars (Sandy alluvial tracts emerged from the river and surrounded by water) in 1980 in the southern coastal belts of the country.

Having no specific legal coverage, the landless people were evicted immediately by the police although the issue was raised in the then national parliament. As result of the fact, there is major setback appeared in landless movement. BKF made a clear assessment on the movement later and four concrete findings came out as weakness. There are (1) Lack of specific law on behalf landless people (2) Less participation of women in the movement (3) Lack of efforts to get support of the local cross-sections and (4) lack of legal aid preparation. BKF again started off with its systematic movements of different kinds such as rallies, processions, demonstrations, encirclements, long marches, hunger strikes to death, sit-in strikes, etc demanding the distribution of Khasland among the bona-fide landless people. However all the times the government officials came to the action and made commitment to take imitative but they did not keep their words.

Finally in early1992 after long period of gap BKF with a massive participation of women occupied the same 4 islands that it did in 1980. This time there was also tough fight between landless and big landowners but end of the day the victory goes with landless people. This time the occupation sustained and all the conspiracies around the occupation went in vain at the strong unity and strategy of the landless. After successful occupation BKF took over more Khaschars in the south. And the total numbers of occupied Khaschars are 22 where the landless people are still living. Yet the occupation movement is going on in different forms. Till to date, BKF took over 76,000 acres of Khasland across the country covering Khaschars, Railway abandoned land, shrimp cultivation centre and Khas water bodies. More than 100,000 people befitted directly having the land in their position.

 Need for Agrarian Reform:

From the viewpoints of social justice, agrarian reform is quite necessary to eradicate poverty and achieve peace in rural life. It is also necessary to achieve food sovereignty that ensures the basic human rights to food. Through a genuine agrarian reform peasants can have access to land and productive resources like forest, water bodies, etc. The peasants and family farmers will remain in the centre of the reform policy. This policy must oppose the influence of TNCs and GOMs and reject the food dumping completely.

Threat to Agrarian Reform

TNCs are big threat to agrarian reform. Recently it has targeted the land as main source of profit. That is why, they are grabbing the land in different ways such as, in the name of purchase, acquisition or industrialisation and housing. 7 principles for Responsible Agricultural Investment that are voluntary guidelines for the investors have tactical approach to allow the TNCs to grab the land of people. These so called 7-principles should be fought back.

 Conclusion:

Bangladesh needs a sweeping agrarian reform as well as land reform that will be the basis of overall development of the country.

Badrul Alam
President
Bangladesh Krishok Federation Ismail Mansion 9/H Motijheel C/A, Room-405, 4^th Floor, Dhaka-1000 Bangladesh Cell: +880-1714010713 E-mail: gip dhaka.net Web: www.krishok.org