land reform

American  

noun

1. any program, especially when undertaken by a national government, involving the redistribution of agricultural land among the landless.

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land reform British  

noun

1. the redistributing of large agricultural holdings among the landless

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Etymology

Origin of land reform

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

Under Árbenz, Guatemala implemented a land reform program in 1952 that gave landless farmworkers their own undeveloped plots.

From Salon • Jan. 18, 2026

After decades of repression, the nation democratically elected Juan José Arévalo and then Jacobo Árbenz, under whom, in 1952, Guatemala implemented a land reform program that gave landless farmworkers their own undeveloped plots.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2026

His 2001 land reform program redistributed government-owned and private land to indigent residents willing to cultivate it.

From Slate • Jan. 15, 2026

Agricultural land and land reform remain a big deal in the poorer parts of the planet, but actual acreage becomes increasingly irrelevant as societies acquire wealth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

“The peasant cooperatives, the land reform, the Taste Salt class, the ti kominote legliz—” People shouting now.

From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple