Political ecology of land reforms in Kinnaur: Implications and a historical overview

Throughout the 20th century, a series of land reforms were implemented in the Kinnaur District of the state of Himachal Pradesh in the Indian Himalaya. Although the purpose of the reforms was to mitigate rising social and economic inequality, there has been no analysis of whether the reforms achieved their stated goals. In this paper, I draw on ethnographic research to study the broad impact the reforms have had on land and wealth redistribution, and on Kinnaur’s thriving apple economy. Land reforms were intended to redistribute land to the poorest population. While the immediate results failed to achieve their objectives, the consequences were uneven and some wealthy landowners benefited from land redistributions. The broader outcome, however, has led to an increase in the wealth of the poorest classes over time and a shift in agrarian relations in Kinnaur. Land reforms have continued to be one of the many factors affecting Kinnaur in recent decades, and have played a significant role in the district’s economic changes. Today the majority of Kinnauris, despite their caste and economic status, own small parcels of land from which they profit. This research, based on nearly one year of ethnographic fieldwork, exhibits a link between land reforms, land ownership, and economic development in Kinnaur.