From common property to private assets: Interplay between development and resource use in an andhra village

Common property resources played a very important role in the livelihood of rural poor in India. These resources which are traditionally managed by th e village panchayats, gradually declined in their quality and quantity, for cing the user groups into severe survival problems. On the other hand, deve lopmental programmes introduced by the state did not take into account the local resource use pattern. These programmes are basically designed, keepin g in view the PPR based farming, resulting in the development of rich farme rs than the landless poor and other occupational categories. In this paper an attempt is made through a case study to trace out the impact of developm ent programmes on common property resources, their decline and the conseque nt changes in socio-economic conditions of the village.