Option C: 'most land in china was not owned by the people', provides part of the answer. It is thought that drought and poor weather played a part in the famine too, although the relative contributions are disputed. It is widely acknowledged that the policies of the ruler at that time, Mao Zedong, of prohibiting land ownership, contributed to the famine. It could also be argued that option A: 'A rigid rules and schedules ignored local growing conditions', is also true. In particular, inappropriate farming policies were forced on farmers, such as planting seedlings in high density and ploughing the soil to very extreme depths.
