Bhoodan and Gramdan Movements initiated by Acharya Vinoba Bhave and their success

Bhoodan was an attempt at land reform, it brought about institutional reform in agriculture like land redistribution, through a movement and not only through legislation. Vinobha Bhave a Gandhian constructive worker, organized Sorvodaya Samaj and popularized that it is far better for a hundred families in a village to cultivate their land collectively and to divide their income than to divide the land into hundred portions. 

The objective of the Bhoodan movement was to persuade the wealthy landowners to voluntarily give a percentage of their land which could be later on redistributed among the landless farmers. But it was not effective because the poor farmers were given a small patch of land on which to settle, as well as grow some of their own food, so as to give them incentive to remain in village as captive labour pool for rich landowners. 

Bhoodan led to fragmentation of land and according to Gandhian Principle, the key to the lasting solution of land problem lies in villagization of land i.e. control of the village community over the land. Hence, Bhoodan, naturally blossomed into Gramdaan. It focused that no absentee landlord would be there. Both movements stimulated political activity by masses, created favourable atmosphere for development of land cooperatives and abolition of private ownerships. 

But this movement could not reach its destination in full sense because of the bureaucratic red-tapism, administrative apathy, corruption, politicization etc. though several Bhoodan Acts have been passed in this regard.