This chapter analyses the emergence of two distinct agrarian systems in major rice-producing provinces in Luzon Island, Philippines. These are the large hacienda system characterized by the management hierarchy for supervising a large number of tenants in Inner Central Luzon, and the relatively small-scale landlordism wherein landlords and tenants were tied by a patron-client bond. These agrarian systems evolved despite basic similarities in economic conditions such as ecological conditions for rice production, market access, colonial history, and post-independent government policies such as land reform.
Keywords: agrarian systems, Luzon, Philippines, rice, hacienda, landlord and tenant