Land reform refers to a governmental transfer of agricultural land involving state, cooperatives, or private owners. Although it covers a variety of transactions, the term is mostly used in connection with government-backed distribution of plots to landless farmers.

In the twentieth century, land reforms formed part of decolonization struggles, often carried out by socialist or communist regimes. Since the 1980s, agrarian and land reforms have been central to the neoliberal policies adopted by international financial institutions, such as the World Bank or the I…