Linkages between poverty and sustainable agricultural and rural development in the uplands of Southeast Asia

Abstract

Most of the upland areas of Southeast Asia are characterized by insufficient infrastructure, low productivity in smallholder crop and animal production, mounting environmental problems such as soil and forest degradation and loss of biodiversity, increasing population pressure, and widespread poverty, particular in rural areas. While some upland areas in Southeast Asia have been experiencing considerable progress during the past twenty years, others have stagnated or even declined economically, socially and environmentally. This paper focuses on the disadvantaged upland areas and discusses sustainable development in the upland areas of Southeast Asia, notably Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. We distinguish three explanatory approaches for land use change and agricultural and rural development. Apart from the market approach and the population approach, we suggest to focus more on governance issues as a major driving force of land use change. The governance approach appears particularly relevant for upland areas which are often politically and institutionally marginalized. The paper concludes with implications for rural and agricultural development policies.