This 24 page report discusses how land ownership traditionally remains the main source of wealth, social status, and economic and political power in Nepal. Apart from its productive value linked to livelihoods and food security, land ownership for the marginalized communities often becomes the determining factor between a life with dignity and security, and exposure to different vulnerabilities and uncertainties. Ironically, however, the richest 5% own 37% of the total cultivable land leaving only 15% to be shared among rest of the 47% households. Landlessness is as high as 32.1 %. Over 44% Dalits in the Terai and 22% of those in hills are landless and, thereby, deprived of their socio- economic rights.While landlessness is very high in the country, over 30 % of cultivable land is estimated to have been left fallow for various reasons such as increasing out-migration of youth, rapid urbanization, decreasing competitiveness for agricultural produce and use of farm land for alternative purposes. Land owners most often keep their land fallow fearing that giving them out for tenant farming would ultimately rob them of their land ownership.