In an agricultural society, the farmland is a major form of national wealth and an increase in farmland holding is a sign of wealth accumulation; whereas in an industrial society, the question of whether a rise in farmland holding also increases the wealth accumulation of farmers with the possible choice of being migrant workers is worth theoretical discussion and empirically testing. This article explores the issue of whether farmland tenancy affects household asset allocation in a rapid industrialization period.

Since the global crises in the 2000s, many foreign and domestic actors have acquired large tracts of land for food and biofuel crop cultivation and other purposes in Africa, often leading to the displacement of the African people living on customary land. The weak customary land rights of ordinary African people have been viewed as one of the main factors making it possible for various land-grabbers to exploit customary land with different purposes.

Both human activities and climate change have changed landscapes significantly, especially in coastal areas. Sea level rise and land subsidence foster tidal floods and permanent inundations, thus changing and limiting land use. Though many countries, including Indonesia, are aware of these phenomena, the legal status of this permanently inundated land remains unclear. Indonesia refers to this land legally as obliterated land. This qualification makes former landowners uncertain, as it does not recognize their previous land rights, and creates disputes during land acquisition.