(i) Sub-division and Fragmentation of Holdings.
As in other parts of the country, this tendency is one
of the principal causes of the present deplorable condition
of agriculture in British Gujarat. The size of an aver-
age holding as estimated in 1921 was 12.2 acres in
Ahmedabad, 4.9 in Kaira, 8.3 in Panch Mahals, 12.6
in Broach and 6.3 in Surat. It must however be remem-
bered that these holdings are not made up of one com-
pact plot, fyut each of them consists of several small plots
situated at varying distances from one another. Though
it is true that in the case of certain kinds of rich soil, even
a holding of about 5 acres would be sufficient for an agri-
cultural family, it has been estimated that for a dry crop
soil, the size of an economic holding should be 20 acres.
On the whole it appears that the majority of holdings in
British Gujarat are uneconomic. The people themselves
are conscious of this situation, and in some cases, they
are trying to make up for the defect by enlarging the unit
of cultivation. This is done by leasing neighbouring
plots from one's neighbours so that though the unit of
ownership may be small, the unit of cultivation may be
larger. This has, however, not gone far.
So far as this evil is concerned, it must be pointed out
that the tendency is on the increase. We find that there
has been a progressive diminution in the size of an aver-
age holding in British Gujarat as can be seen from the
following figures.
Year Size of an average holding in acres
1886-87 9-5
1900-01 9-2
1916-17 - 8-1
1921-22 7-7
1926-27 7-6
(2) Scarcity of Labour.
The cultivating labourers may be divided into two
classes, (i) permanent and (2) temporary. The former