Page 2 - Lessonnote_Change and Development in Rural Society

➢ Many people living in rural areas are employed in, or have livelihoods based in, rural
non-farm activities.

➢ For ex- there are rural residents employed in government services such as the Postal
and Education Departments, factory workers, or in the army, who earn their living
through non-agricultural activities.

Agrarian Structure

➢ The term Agrarian structure refers to the structure or distribution of landholding.
➢ It is because agricultural land is the most important productive resource in rural
areas, access to land shapes the rural class structure.

Types of landholdings

1) Large landers – Own large amount of land, earlier known as Zamindars.
2) Medium landowners- Have small amount of land and can make a profit.
3) Marginal land owners- These along with small family grow just enough for
consumption of their family and do not have enough land to get surplus to sell in the

market.
4) Landless owners- have no land of their own, work for others.
5) Tenants- Take land on rent and give the landowners a share of the profit.

Women position

• Woman’s position is low, they can’t own land.

• Women are usually excluded from ownership of land, because of the prevailing

patrilineal kinship system and mode of inheritance

• In reality they only have limited rights and some access to land only as part of a
household headed by a man.

Class and Caste structure in Rural areas

• In rural areas, there is a complex relationship between caste and class.

• We might expect that the higher castes have more land and higher incomes.

• Brahmins are the top most caste but not necessarily the wealthiest. In most areas,
the highest caste , the Brahmins, are not major landowners. And so they fall outside
the agrarian structure although they are a part of rural society.