The Ryotwari system was a land revenue system introduced in British India by Thomas Munro in the late 18th century. It was one of the three main systems used to collect revenues from the cultivators of agricultural land. Under this system, the government dealt directly with the cultivator, known as the "ryot," for revenue collection and gave them complete ownership of the land. The amount of revenue collected was directly proportional to the amount of yield produced. The key features of the Ryotwari system are:

• Direct settlement between the government and the individual cultivator for payment of land revenue.
• Complete ownership of the land given to the cultivator.
• Revenue collection directly proportional to the amount of yield produced.
• Security of tenure for the cultivator.

The Ryotwari system was instituted in some parts of India, including Madras, Bombay, Assam, and Coorg provinces. It was different from the permanent settlement system in the British territories in the south and was tried on a small scale by Alexander Read in some areas that were taken over by the company after the war with the Tipu Sultan. The Ryotwari system had both positive and negative consequences. It increased revenue collection for the state and gave security of tenure to the cultivators. However, it also increased the burden of taxation upon peasants and forced cultivators to switch to cash crops, further pushing them towards poverty.