Abstract

In the village of Peddaradugur in the Gooty Taluk (Anantapur District) there is an interesting system of collective farming, ideal in its organization and efficient in management. There are 36 acres of wetland irrigated by a spring channel, composed of 44 shares, each share being a unit of one head of working animal (Tel. Pothu bagamu). There are now 44 share- holders, some owning single shares, some others a little more or less than a share. One of the shareholders, Bayyanna by name, is the chief man of the organization, by virtue of heredity. For the past several generations Bayyanna's family have been the leaders of this organization. In the village Revenue Registers the patta is shown as a common one in the name of "Bayyanna and others". No one member of this organization has any right to any particular portion of this block of 36 acres and cannot say that this portion or that portion of this block is his, or that he would cultivate that area only. Nor has he any right to sell his share of the land; he can sell only his right to his share of the produce, that is to say, on selling his right he ceases to be a shareholder and the purchaser will step into the scheme. No registration is done, the seller passes on his paper to the purchaser. These 44 persons work together, divide the expenses and divide the net produce among them according to their shares whether the entire block or only a part of it is cultivated.

Keywords: