Landlessness within the vicious cycle of poverty in Ugandan rural farm households: why and how it is born?

Rising poverty in rural Uganda is linked to increasing landlessness, as the latter drives land degradation and reduces agricultural productivity. This paper examines the complex relationship between owning land and poverty. It identifies effective strategies and land policy guidance to address this concern. Findings from a comparison of recent panel data indicate that:• landless households are headed by younger males with lower levels of education, and are smaller than     the landed households• higher per capita income is positively associated with land holdings• poverty reduction reduces the risk of becoming landless• inheriting land and resources capital reduces a household’s probability of becoming landless.To prevent further landlessness among rural Ugandan families, the authors suggest: • providing development pathways, such as enhancing livestock and the human capital of households • provide proportionate resource transmission by parents to children, for example ensure that parents with one acre will pass on an acre to their children.