Land tenure

Abstract

The debate about land ownership and its effect on agricultural growth, equity and policy, otherwise known as the "agrarian question', is presented. Firstly, the historical legacy in Egypt, in which a highly skewed system of large farms became one of small farms predominating in the Old Lands, as well as the effects of Nasser's land reforms and the creation of the modern system, are summarised. The changes in land tenure through the oil boom and bust are then described, emphasising rural population pressure, agricultural wage levels, the economic consequences of the oil boom and the changing impact of government policies. The land tenure system is undergoing technological and institutional changes which may be increasing the importance of large farms once again. -J.W.Cooper