Notes
Flexible Adoption of Imported Rural Development Policy
—Lessons from Livelihood Improvement Programme in Post-War Japan—
2009 Volume 18 Issue 2 Pages 195-208
Details
2009 Volume 18 Issue 2 Pages 195-208
Participatory rural development has increased its weight in the field of international development since 1990's. The word “Participation” has been included explicitly in the objectives and activities of those projects. On the other hand, the experience of the livelihood improvement programme (LIP) in post-war Japan has been “discovered” as an early example of the rural development supported and influenced by foreign donors.
The LIP was newly introduced into Japan by the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers (GHQ) after World War II. The LIP developed as a comprehensive rural development programme with the purpose of achieving the democratization of rural communities. This newly established programme aimed to provide rural inhabitants, especially young women with the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of new livelihood ideas and techniques. It was different from the rigid pre-war extension ideals, which dealt exclusively with agricultural instruction.
In this article, the livelihood improvement extension system in post-war Japan which was the core of the LIP is compared to the US system founded in 1914. The US extension system was the model for Japan's extension system. Therefore emphasis is placed on the structure of organization systems and functions of the extension worker. The system implemented in Japan was modified from the US blueprint, to include aspects of pre-war Japanese ideologies.
In addition, an overview of the characteristics of the LIP in Japan in particular, the character and significance of “participation” and “empowerment” is clarified in this article. Analysis of the LIP from the view point of the participatory rural developments is evaluated.
For adopting a new system, not only building organizations, but also nurturing people's natural abilities is a key factor in the experience of Japan's rural development. This situation is common in developing countries today. Therefore Japan's participatory rural development will act as an invaluable model, illustrating the importance of adopting external ideals to best utilize the local resources.
