Land Redistribution and the Paradox of Rural Pluriactivity: The Case of Dukuh Kaung Hamlet in Bogor Regency, Indonesia

Abstract

While land redistribution is widely recognized as a catalyst for rural economic improvement, the mere transfer of property rights frequently culminates in risk-averse survival strategies rather than sustained economic expansion. To unpack this agrarian paradox, this study anchors its analysis in Sajogyo’s “Eight Paths of Equity Plus” framework to examine the dynamic relationship between land control, employment, and business opportunities in Dukuh Kaung, Bogor Regency—a frontline of agrarian reform in Indonesia. Utilizing an exploratory sequential mixed-method design, qualitative insights were integrated with a census of 48 households controlling ex-HGU land in Pasir Kolecer Block. Spearman’s rank correlation revealed a statistically significant, moderate positive relationship between the size of land controlled and both productive employment (p = 0.022; r = 0.330) and entrepreneurial ventures (p = 0.041; r = 0.263). Although de facto redistribution successfully democratised land access and eradicated absolute landlessness for 70.8% of previously landless households, the structural transition towards rural equity remains severely stunted. The high prevalence of extremely rural pluriactivity—with 37.5% of households engaging in four or more simultaneous jobs—indicates a necessity-driven survival strategy to compensate for insufficient agricultural returns, exacerbated by emerging resource concentration via distress land sales. The study concludes that while land access provides the necessary foundational asset, it is fundamentally insufficient without a comprehensive “Agrarian Reform Plus” architecture—encompassing formal credit, training, market integration, and infrastructural support—to elevate rural livelihoods from precarious survival to sustainable commercial growth.