Land-owning Dalit women in Karnataka still depend on wage labour: Study

Bengaluru: Despite owning farmland under a government scheme, roughly six in 10 Dalit women still work as agricultural labourers on others’ plots for income support, a new study has found. 

The study, which evaluated the Bhoo Odetana scheme, concluded that land ownership has not fully eliminated dependence on wage labour for Scheduled Caste (SC) women. 

Bihar-based TransRural Consulting studied the scheme implemented by the Karnataka Adijambava Development Corporation between 2020-21 and 2024-25. Its report has been published by the state-run Karnataka Monitoring and Evaluation Authority (KMEA). 

During the study period, there were 11,039 applications. Of this, only 2,270 women got land, highlighting “bottlenecks” in the scheme. The study covered 434 beneficiaries. 

A majority of respondents belonged to low-income households earning less than Rs 5,000 a month. But after owning land, household income rose to Rs 10,000-20,000 per month. 

Still, 58.76% of beneficiaries reported working as labourers elsewhere “indicating persistent livelihood insecurity”. 

“This suggests that while beneficiaries have gained land ownership through the scheme, their small landholdings and lower productivity still compel them to seek supplementary wage employment,” the report said.

“This evidence reinforces the need for productivity-enhancing interventions (such as irrigation, soil fertility improvement and crop diversification) and convergence with allied livelihood schemes to reduce dependence on wage labour and ensure that land ownership translates into sustainable livelihood security,” the report said. 

Contrasting outcomes

The study also revealed contrasting outcomes on empowerment: While 93.8% of beneficiaries reported that land ownership improved their role in household financial decision-making, only 64.4% felt more financially independent. 

“On one hand, land ownership has clearly given women greater voice and participation in decision-making processes within the household, signifying enhanced social recognition and bargaining power,” the study said. “On the other hand, a smaller proportion feel truly financially independent, suggesting that control over resources and income flows remains limited in several cases.”

In Raichur and Yadgir, poor bank cooperation slowed implementation of the scheme, with delays in account opening, loan disbursal and subsidy transfers even after approvals. In contrast, Haveri and Kolar saw smoother processes due to proactive district banking committees.

A key hurdle across regions is the low creditworthiness of landless SC women, many of whom are first-time borrowers without collateral, making banks hesitant despite government subsidies, the report said.

Land acquisition is another major challenge, the report found. In Chikkaballapur, Shivamogga and parts of Kolar, rising land prices, legal hurdles, and limited availability of cultivable land near habitations have made purchases difficult, especially in peri-urban areas where farmland is increasingly diverted for non-agricultural use.