Collective and Communal Ownership of Land

By: EconomyWatch   Date: 21 April 2010

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Collective and Communal Ownership of Land is another method of Land Ownership by which a community or a group owns a piece of land. The groups have to be larger than the family which is the smallest land owning unit. In different parts of the world this system has been practiced in different ways. For instance in Africa this type of land ownership is practiced among the African tribes. The tribe controls the land and the chief of the tribe and the priest are endowed with the power to distribute the land between the mass but the farmers are not empowered to take any kind of decision regarding the land. The power of taking a decision regarding the land lies with the chief or the priest.

Mexican System of Land Ownership

In Mexico people receive the land through inheritance. Land is treated as a personal property which is transferred to the progeny by the ancestors so that they can use the land. The community land in Mexico is known as 'ejido'.

This System is also practiced in India. In this country the minority communities are given a certain stretch of land which they hold on to through out their lives. This is done to protect the interest of the minority groups.

Application of the System in Socialist Countries

In countries following the socialist doctrine land was collectivized according to law. It was distributed by the government to various communities. This system made it easier for the counties to adapt themselves to industrialization and also made agricultural production easier than before. There are many religious communities which have taken to this policy and have collectivized land for various purposes. Any kind of psychological pressure also is responsible for collectivization of land.


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