Rethinking Traditional Landholding Systems and Their Constraints on Development

The land is the identity, culture, and sustenance for the indigenous tribal communities in Northeast India. There are complexities in traditional landholding systems among different tribal groups. The Indigenous social groups of Zeliangrong also followunique traditional practices, emphasising collective ownership over individual possession. This system undoubtedlypreserves cultural values and social cohesion, howeverimposes significant constraints on economic progress. Communal landholding, coupled with practices like jhum (shifting) cultivation, limits individual agency and discourages long-term investment in land, resulting in low agricultural productivity and minimal economic returns. Large tracts of unused land remain barren for decades and centuries, while the population grapples with poverty, unemployment, and low per capita income. Therefore, this paper attempts to rethinklandholding patternsand their constraints.