Can government-allocated land contribute to food security? Intrahousehold analysis of West Bengal’s Microplot allocation program

Secure land rights are a critical, but often overlooked, factor in achieving household food security and improved nutritional status in rural areas of developing countries. This study evaluates the impact of India’s land-allocation and registration program in West Bengal, a program that targets poor...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Santos, Florence, Fletschner, Diana, Savath, Vivien, Peterman, Amber
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/67762
_version_ 1855526458271727616
author Santos, Florence
Fletschner, Diana
Savath, Vivien
Peterman, Amber
author_browse Fletschner, Diana
Peterman, Amber
Santos, Florence
Savath, Vivien
author_facet Santos, Florence
Fletschner, Diana
Savath, Vivien
Peterman, Amber
author_sort Santos, Florence
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Secure land rights are a critical, but often overlooked, factor in achieving household food security and improved nutritional status in rural areas of developing countries. This study evaluates the impact of India’s land-allocation and registration program in West Bengal, a program that targets poor populations and promotes the inclusion of women’s names on land titles. We use mixed methods data collected between 2010 and 2012 to examine the program’s selection of beneficiaries and a set of outcomes that are expected to lay the foundation for future food security, as well as short-term food security indicators. Our results indicate that the program’s implementation at the block level allowed for considerable variation in the processes used to select beneficiaries, to demarcate plots, to distribute titles and to provide infrastructure support. Although we were unable to detect statistically significant program effects on current house hold food security, we find that the land-allocation and registration program has had an impact on a range of outcomes that are expected to lead to future food security: beneficiary households report stronger security, and they are more likely to take loans for agricultural purposes, to invest in agricultural improvements, and to involve women when making decisions related to food and agriculture. These effects vary with plot size—larger plots lead to larger benefits —and depend on whose names are included on the land documents; the effects are larger if women’s names are recorded on the land titles.
format Artículo preliminar
id CGSpace67762
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2013
publishDateRange 2013
publishDateSort 2013
publisher International Food Policy Research Institute
publisherStr International Food Policy Research Institute
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace677622025-11-06T06:20:42Z Can government-allocated land contribute to food security? Intrahousehold analysis of West Bengal’s Microplot allocation program Santos, Florence Fletschner, Diana Savath, Vivien Peterman, Amber agriculture food security gender Secure land rights are a critical, but often overlooked, factor in achieving household food security and improved nutritional status in rural areas of developing countries. This study evaluates the impact of India’s land-allocation and registration program in West Bengal, a program that targets poor populations and promotes the inclusion of women’s names on land titles. We use mixed methods data collected between 2010 and 2012 to examine the program’s selection of beneficiaries and a set of outcomes that are expected to lay the foundation for future food security, as well as short-term food security indicators. Our results indicate that the program’s implementation at the block level allowed for considerable variation in the processes used to select beneficiaries, to demarcate plots, to distribute titles and to provide infrastructure support. Although we were unable to detect statistically significant program effects on current house hold food security, we find that the land-allocation and registration program has had an impact on a range of outcomes that are expected to lead to future food security: beneficiary households report stronger security, and they are more likely to take loans for agricultural purposes, to invest in agricultural improvements, and to involve women when making decisions related to food and agriculture. These effects vary with plot size—larger plots lead to larger benefits —and depend on whose names are included on the land documents; the effects are larger if women’s names are recorded on the land titles. 2013-12-15 2015-08-03T11:40:10Z 2015-08-03T11:40:10Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/67762 en https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.07.017 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Santos, Florence; Fletschner, Diana; Savath, Vivien; and Peterman, Amber. 2013. Can government-allocated land contribute to food security? Intrahousehold analysis of West Bengal’s microplot allocation program. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1310. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/67762
spellingShingle agriculture
food security
gender
Santos, Florence
Fletschner, Diana
Savath, Vivien
Peterman, Amber
Can government-allocated land contribute to food security? Intrahousehold analysis of West Bengal’s Microplot allocation program
title Can government-allocated land contribute to food security? Intrahousehold analysis of West Bengal’s Microplot allocation program
title_full Can government-allocated land contribute to food security? Intrahousehold analysis of West Bengal’s Microplot allocation program
title_fullStr Can government-allocated land contribute to food security? Intrahousehold analysis of West Bengal’s Microplot allocation program
title_full_unstemmed Can government-allocated land contribute to food security? Intrahousehold analysis of West Bengal’s Microplot allocation program
title_short Can government-allocated land contribute to food security? Intrahousehold analysis of West Bengal’s Microplot allocation program
title_sort can government allocated land contribute to food security intrahousehold analysis of west bengal s microplot allocation program
topic agriculture
food security
gender
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/67762
work_keys_str_mv AT santosflorence cangovernmentallocatedlandcontributetofoodsecurityintrahouseholdanalysisofwestbengalsmicroplotallocationprogram
AT fletschnerdiana cangovernmentallocatedlandcontributetofoodsecurityintrahouseholdanalysisofwestbengalsmicroplotallocationprogram
AT savathvivien cangovernmentallocatedlandcontributetofoodsecurityintrahouseholdanalysisofwestbengalsmicroplotallocationprogram
AT petermanamber cangovernmentallocatedlandcontributetofoodsecurityintrahouseholdanalysisofwestbengalsmicroplotallocationprogram