Synthesising Traditional and Modern Approaches: Hybrid Adaptation for Sustainable Land Reform in Bangladesh

Mohammad Fakhrus Salam; Md. Rakib Mia

doi:10.25175/jrd/2025/v44/i2/173365

Authors

Mohammad Fakhrus Salam Associate Professor, Department of Political Studies, Social Science Building, SUST, Sylhet-3114
Md. Rakib Mia Research Student in the Department of Political Studies, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25175/jrd/2025/v44/i2/173365

Keywords:

Land Reform; Hybrid Adaptation; PRISMA; Community Participation; Sustainable Governance; Bangladesh.

Abstract

This article aims to provide a structured framework for exploring effective land reform strategies in Bangladesh. The land reform in Bangladesh has a long history of marginalisation in which unequal land allocation, outdated policies and weak institutions have left millions of rural families in poverty. Although a number of programmes have been launched throughout the decades, the continuing exclusion of marginal communities points to the urgent necessity of new thinking. This paper discusses a hybrid adaptation strategy combining traditional land use with the current governance systems to construct a more inclusive system. The study is based on a systematic qualitative synthesis of policy texts, the scholarly literature, and international case studies to follow common trends, gaps, and possible solutions, using a PRISMA-informed design with meta-analysis. The results indicate that successful land reform cannot be based only on legal reforms; it requires community action, joint governance, and locally based solutions. African and South Asian experience shows that hybrid forms of governance in which traditional norms co-exist with adaptive policies provide a better platform to promote equitable allocation of Khas land, resolution of conflicts and sustainable rural livelihoods. This paper aims to offer pragmatic guidance to policymakers, scholars, and development practitioners, emphasising that sustainable land governance must empower marginalised groups while simultaneously upholding principles of social justice, economic productivity, and ecological resilience. The research offers a way forward to more inclusive and lasting solutions to land reform problems in Bangladesh by combining old wisdom and new approaches.

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