The obstacle in social mobility in Pakistan

Browsing the internet the other day, I encountered some interesting information regarding the economy of Pakistan from some credible sources. One wonders what exactly could be so interesting about an economy that has been marked by recession for the past decade. No it was not the external debt of $31.7 billion (53% of GDP) or the domestic debt amounting to $30 billion (50% of GDP), rather it was the potential of productiveness that the agricultural sector holds but is unable to deliver.

With a total geographical area of about 79.6 million hectares of which twenty-seven percent is currently under cultivation (eighty percent of it being irrigated land), Pakistan is considered to hold one of the highest proportions of irrigated cropped area around the globe. So why has the agricultural sector been relegated to only a 25% contribution to the overall GDP of the nation? Employing about 50% of the labor force of the country, it is surprising that Pakistan is a net food importer (major imports include vegetable oil, wheat, cotton, pulses and consumer foods). Even more confounding is the fact that the poorest of the poor in an agricultural based country are the farmers (landless ones that is). On the other hand, the richest of the rich are also farmers. No paradox intended, but these are the fuedal lords/landowners who have exhibited control over every aspect of not only the agricultural sector but also the so called “democratic” political arena.

Despite the claims of our Finance Minister, every Pakistani wether abroad or confined in the boundaries of the land is aware of the economical recession that has rendered the country to suffer from utmost poverty and underdevelopment. The root cause of this poverty is none other than the medeiveal feudal system that is still lingering over Pakistan despite the advent of twenty first century. The past governments have expressed their apathy in dealing with the evils of feudalism only because they comprised of feudal lords or their heirs. However, to fulfill the façade of democracy, ineffective land reforms were introduced in the past. In 1959, the limit for private ownership of land was fixed at 500 acres irrigated and another 1000 acres unirrigated. The government mangaed to express its generosity to feudal lords by bestowing productivity exemptions as well as granting heavy compensations to the landowners for uncultivated land. Instead of benefitting the landless/poor farmers, the reform had a reverse effect on them. The citizens witnessed another “genuine” attempt by the government in 1979 to ameliorate social/economic condition of farmers when it introduced the second land reform. Once again, deception and the preservation of the status quo was given priority over the redistribution of land from the rural elite to the destitute.

Thus we can easily accept the failure of land reforms in Pakistan and continue with the daily minutia of our everyday lives. On the contrary, we can seriously cogitate about the issue and research why land reforms proved succesful in countries like Japan, Taiwan, Brazil, South Korea, China, and the list continures. Even our neighbor, India, is stepping forward in this direction. The success of land reforms even in absence of government initiatives in Brazil proves that social changes can be broached from alternative minor forces. It is estimated that the Brazil rural elite render half of their land uncultivated in order to force an estimated 25 million peasants to conitnuosuly strive for survival in their ephemral agricultural jobs in conditions that are in direct violation of human rights. Thus in 1985, the Landless Workers Movemnet (MST) supported landless peasants in occupation of still lands through legalizaton by the Brazil Constituion. Since then, more than 250,000 farmer families have gained ownership of 15 million acres of land. These familes have experienced social mobility by attaining a higher standard of living as compared to their landless counterparts. Not only this, the markets and towns neighboring MST settlements have also undergone an economic boost as both the farmers and native merchants exchange services and goods.

Taiwan also has undergone an egalitarian land reforms process accompanied by techonolgial support from the government. The country has shifted from importing to exporting food products. Japan had the support of American occupation forces after World War II in implementation of land reforms. Their success can only be viewed in terms of their current status as one of the self-sufficient and developed nations of the world. China underwent radical land reform movement brought about by exectuions of landlords and confiscation of land during the regin of the Communits; such drastic measures in the present era would be ineffective. What is needed today is a moderate approach to redistribute the wealth interms of land inorder to create a more egalitarian society.

Overall, research has proven that land reforms can be an effective approach towards diminishing of poverty. Though initially the governments have to bear the burden of monetary appropriations in order to comepnsate for the redistribution of land of the landlords, these expenditures are far less than that which the government would have to spend to support the same number of people in urban settlements. It is estimated that the amount of money spent on legalization of land occupations in a year is much less than the amount of money that must be spent on supporting the rural citizens in urban towns. Secondly, small farms have proven to contribute more to production in agricultural output per unit area than larger farms (two to ten times more productivity in Third World). History itself is evidence of success of small-farm based communities as opposed to corporate farming. While plantations in America became source of social and political unrest, small farms increased not only in productivity but also engaged in mass consumption of products manufactured in urban areas such as machines and clothing; thus, fueling growth in urban sectors also.

The success of land reforms lies in the method of its implementation. Only when land with potential of cultivation is redistributed among the majority of the plebian class, in presence of governments grants/loans, technological assitance, and policies that are in favor of small farmers can the positive impact of land reforms become a reality. We must strive to bring such a reform in a country that has the potential but has had its ecomonimc growth impeded by unbalanced distribution of wealth/assets. The extinction of feudalism from all the developed countries in the world is evidence of its ineffectiveness both as a social and political order. Thus, Pakistan must also seek to redress the wrong that has been committed by feudal lords and guaranteee its ctizens their natural rights by granting them ownership of land.