In Sri Lanka, the relationship between the land and its people has
historically been strong and pervasive. Until recent times, the
country’s economy was dominated by the agricultural sector and
farming continues to provide a livelihood for many. As in other
peasant societies, social structures and relationships in the
traditional agrarian economy have been organised along land
tenure systems and people have consequently developed strong
attachments to the land. However, with the decline of agricultural
productivity and the rising prominence of the manufacturing and
service sectors, migration – to urban areas and abroad – has
increased. In this context, many have questioned the place of land
policy in poverty reduction and whether adequate importance has
been given to land issues in government planning – hence the title
of this volume.
This chapter provides an introduction to land, land use and land
reforms in Sri Lanka and highlights some of the key issues
pertaining to land and poverty which are addressed in greater
depth in the research papers that follow. While the topic of land is
vast, this chapter focuses exclusively on issues relating to the rural
sector and takes a historical approach to contextualise the current
policy framework.