Has land ownership demonstrably lifted large masses of people out of poverty?
It’s moved them several rungs up the ladder out of poverty, but not necessarily all the way. They are better off than they were before, and it gives them the biggest boost they’ve ever had. It gets their nutritional levels within the range of basic needs, and substantially increases their incomes. A fairly extensive survey in Karnataka of families that received ‘microplots’ (which are a tenth or a fifteenth of an acre) revealed that the average family was able to meet all its vegetable needs, most of its fruit needs — and most of its dairy needs — because they would save to acquire a cow. Additionally, the sale of surplus yielded an income equivalent to about $200 a year, which is how much a farm worker would earn in a year. Which countries have the best record in land reforms? The three great post-war examples in Asia are Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, all of which had comprehensive land-to-the-tiller programmes. In Taiwan, in the 10 years following the programme, rice production went
