Introductory Overview: Development Strategies, Agricultural Policies and Agricultural Development in Southeast Asia

Abstract

The objective of this volume is to depict and analyse the impact of recent macroeconomic reforms on agricultural development in the transi tional economies of mainland Southeast Asia (TEMSEA) such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam; and to compare their experiences with those of other more developed market econo mies in Southeast Asia where agriculture plays a very significant role in the economy such as Indo nesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand. Many studies have been done on the economic and social impact of macroeconomic policies on agriculture and rural people in developing coun tries. Bautista and Valdes (1993), Berg (1988), Demery (1987), Eicher and Staatz (1994), Green and Vokes (1997), Hazel (1987), James et al (1987), Krueger et al (1988), Hamid (1995), and UNDP (1989) are among more recent studies. However, the studies on Southeast Asian countries in the light of the latest political developments have not been done extensively. In this aspect, it is hoped that this volume will serve to fulfill this purpose. Before presenting the articles on country stud ies, it is felt that brief background information and discussion regarding the theme of the volume should be presented. Hence this introduction is divided into three sections: the first section focuses on salient features of Southeast Asian agriculture, the second discusses the impact of development strategies and macroeconomic poli cies on the agricultural sector, and the overview of the country studies along with the conclusion is presented in the final section.