Japanese Journal of Southeast Asian Studies

This survey article purports to give a frame of reference for analyzing the various issues related to agricultural development in Asia. It deals with the problems in a broad context of social development in Asian developing countries. Sections cover : I. The early-stage of development of advanced countries and the present state of developing countries. II. Low Productivity of Asian agriculture : Its causes and effects. III. Three stages of agricultural development and rural development. IV. Conflicts between agriculture and industry or between urban and rural areas. V. Agricultural development, foreign trade and development strategies.

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This article presents an analysis of the relationship between rural development and the innovation of agricultural technology, which focuses on Korea and Thailand and uses S. Tobata's theory. The fundamental factor of rural development is the innovation of agricultural technology. In Asian countries, the response to the "Green Revolution, " which is the typical pattern of innovation of agricultural technology, is different for each country. The most successful Asian country in adopting the "Green Revolution" is Korea, while the least successful is Thailand. The main reason for the successful adoption in Korea is that government has acted as the technological innovator and as the "entrepreneur who bears no risk, " and the Korean farmer has been able to change easily to become the "mere manager" due to governmental initiative. However, in other developing countries in Asia, government cannot act as the "entrepreneur, " for reasons including the difficulties of expanding the international market for new products, and poor capital formation. The experience of rural development in Korea is very attractive to developing countries. However, it is very difficult to transfer this experience to other developing countries without reforming governmental and farmers' functions in those countries.

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Relatively little agricultural technology as applied in the developed countries is suitable for direct transfer to the developing countries, even if modified by means of adaptive research. The creation of appropriate technology suited to the local conditions of the developing countries in the tropics is therefore crucial.
A comprehensive plan for technological development should be worked out. It should be emphasized, however, that the term "comprehensive" precludes development schemes which have become complicated by the mere indiscriminate incorporation into the plan of various technical, economic, social and cultural elements, even though these components are indispensable. It is highly important therefore to improve each element in an orderly way, to keep the various factors involved in harmony and to promote gradual development by alloting tnough time, even years, for the completion of each stage.
In the long run, for the development of agricultural technology in the tropics, elaborate research programs undertaken by national and international agencies should be closely linked so as to obtain and accumulate relevant data.
In addition, efforts should be made to further promote research and investigation aimed at the exploitation of such biological resources in the tropics such as sago palm, quinoa and winged bean which are presently unused or underused.

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