The rice belt of Laguna Province, Philippines (popularly known as the heartland of the Green Revolution for its early adoption of modern rice varieties), has experienced dramatic economic and social changes in the last quarter of the twentieth century. Besides the major advances in new rice technology, four major forces have prompted change: increasing population pressure on limited land; implementation of land reform programs; developments in infrastructure such as irrigation and roads; and penetration of urban economic activities. A unique data set generated from many surveys during the period 1966-97 in a typical village in Laguna, as put together in this book, illustrates a pattern of socio-economic change shared by many irrigated rice areas in the Philippines as well as in other Asian economies.

This annual report provides basic information on the global agricultural situation. A review of developments in food security opens this year's report, with new estimates on the proportion & number of undernourished people in the developing world. Also included is an analysis of the Asian financial crisis & its likely effects on agricultural production, trade, & food security. Special features include: an examination of the potential of rice fish farming; a chapter on rural non-farm income & employment; & a diskette housing time series data for nearly 150 countries, country groups, & regions in English, French, & Spanish. Recommended in: ALA's Guide to Reference Books.

A traditional paradigm in development economics assumes that the process of modern economic growth is associated with a major shift in labor from rural hinterlands to urban industrial centers. However, the logic of economic development does not dictate that industrialization and urbanization are intertwined and inseparable, as assumed in the traditional paradigm. The studies reported in this volume examine whether an alternative route of economic development might exist in which the modern production base also moves into the rural sector instead of the rural labor force alone moving into the urban sector. Part I focuses on historical experiences in Japan such as technical and institutional innovations in rice marketing, and the formation of Toyota's relationship with suppliers. Part II reports on current developments in East Asia including the rural garment and weaving industries in Northern Thailand, and rural entrepreneurship and industrial development in Korea.