3 SYSTEMS OF AGRICULTURE ZAMIndari System Mahalwari System Ryotwari System Under the Mahalwari Under the Zamindari system, the land system, the land revenue revenue was Under the Ryotwari system, was collected from the collected from the the land revenue was paid by farmers by the farmers by the the farmers directly to the intermediaries known as village headmen on state. Zamindars. behalf of the whole village. In this system, the entire village is In this system, the Individual converted into one cultivator called Ryot had full Zamindari system was big unit called „Mahal‟ rights regarding sale, transfer, started by the Imperialist and treated as one and leasing of the land. The East India Company in unit as far as ryots could not be evicted from 1793. payment of land his land as long as he pays the revenue is rent. concerned. Lord Cornwallis entered Mahalwari system into „Permanent was popularised by Settlement‟ with the Lord William Bentinck landlords with a view to in Agra and Awadh. In this system, the increase land revenue. It was later extended responsibility of paying the Under this arrangement, to Madhya Pradesh rent lies with the individual the landlords were and Punjab. cultivator called “Ryot”. There declared as zamindars The responsibility of exist no intermediaries with full proprietorship of collecting and between the government and the land. depositing the rent the individual cultivator. The Zamindars were made lied with the village responsible for the headmen. collection of the rent. The ryotwari system though appears satisfactory and better The share of the than Zamindari and Mahalwari, The Mahalwari government in the total in reality, the system had system is found to be rent collected by the several deficiencies. The less exploitative than zamindars was kept at system was dominated by the the Zamindari 10/11th, and the balance mahajans and moneylenders system. going to zamindars. who granted loans to cultivators by mortgaging their land. The moneylenders exploited the cultivators and evicted them from their land in case of loan default. The system was most The system was The system was first prevalent in West Bengal, prevalent in Agra, introduced in Tamil Nadu and Bihar, Orrisa, UP, Andhra Awadh, Punjab, later extended to Maharashtra, Pradesh and Madhya Orrisa and Madhya Berar, East Punjab, Coorg and Pradesh. Pradesh. Assam. .