Agrarian History of Nepal

This book is a comprehensive analysis of the history of farming in Nepal and the political economy of agrarian transition across the country’s diverse agro-ecological and socio-cultural domains. Focusing largely on the last five centuries, it charts the evolution of diverse economic and agro-ecological systems across time and space. This includes the unique agrarian formation associated with Nepal’s Adivasi communities, as well as sedentary owner-cultivation, feudalism and capitalism. It traces the complex relations of subjugation between these different systems over time, while also offering insights into how this has mediated changes in cropping patterns, market engagement and technological change. The book uses these historical insights to offer a deeper insight into many of Nepal’s contemporary rural development challenges.