From the time the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Programme—initiated by the FAO—was introduced in Indonesia in early 1990 and other Asian countries afterwards, a gradual change in IPM farmers' knowledge, practices, empowerment, and dignity has been occurring. In line with the aims of the program to introduce knowledge, stimulate farmers' own curiosity, and improve their decision making ability, the implication of this program for farmers' knowledge and farming practices has been significantly different from the Green Revolution program and other technological interventions in crop farming. An “evolutionary” or gradual change rather than a “revolutionary” one or sudden change is going on among the IPM farmers in several countries in Southeast Asia. Not only are their technical understandings of growing crops enriched and modified, but also their creativity, dignity, and self-confidence are enhanced. Nevertheless, knowledge enrichment, production, implementation, and transmissionare not simple processes. They are embedded in the local settings and within the course of the agricultural development and history in each locale. Some similarities and many variations are found in different countries in Southeast Asia. This paper examines these phenomena by looking at the evolutionary changes found in IPM farmers' knowledge and practices in ricecrop farming in Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

抄録全体を表示

Deforestation and land degradation associated with shifting cultivation have caused great concern about land-use sustainability of the northern uplands of Vietnam. Composite swiddening is a traditional land-use system that appears to be relatively sustainable. The system practiced by the Da Bac Tay ethnic minority in Tat hamlet in Da Bac district of Hoa Binh province is relatively diverse and flexible, and seems to hold considerable potential for intensification. However, recent changes in agricultural and economic conditions in Vietnam have also brought about changes in the farming system. This study was undertaken to describe the changes in the farming system in Tat hamlet over the past 15 years (1988–2003), and to identify factors influencing those changes.
 At the beginning of the study period, households were essentially economically undifferentiated and all were engaged in traditional composite swiddening, mainly for subsistence. Farming system differentiation began after the management of agricultural land was returned to individual households by the cooperative. By the end of the study period, farming systems of individual households had become more diversified, substantially differentiated, and oriented more toward commercial production. In later years, the contribution of swiddening to household income decreased, while those of livestock, non-timber forest products (NTFPs), and of ffarmactivities increased. At the household level, there were great variations in the ways that the farming system changed. Important factors influencing these changes included population increase, government policies on management of agriculture and forest land changes in the macro-economic environment, improved infrastructure and communication, improved access to market, government development programs and services, changes in family structure and the adaptive strategies of individual households, and environmental degradation. In particular, the shortening of the fallow period and the consequent decline in soil fertility poses a serious threat to long-term sustainability of the composite swidden system. Unless means are found to rapidly regenerate soil fertility, swidden areas will continue to suffer degradation and their productivity will continuously decline.

抄録全体を表示

This paper traces the deforestation of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province, over several decades, analyzing the impact of changes in social structure on the forest. Before the establishment of the People's Republic, more than 60 percent of this area was covered by forest. The Hani and Lahu peoples lived in the mountainous rainforest and the Dai people cultivated rice fields in the river basin of a Mekong tributary. The introduction of rubber plantations in the 1950s by the Han people triggered the drastic collapse of this stable socio-ecological system. In the 1960s, several hundred thousand young urbanites from throughout China were forced into this area and exploited the mid-altitude rainforest. In the 1980s, the Hani and Lahu followed the Han example, starting private rubber plantations in the higher altitudes. At present, state-run Han rubber plantations occupy the foot of the mountains and Hani and Lahu private plantations cover the mountainous areas. Almost all rainforest has been lost in this basin.

抄録全体を表示

In many respects, Cambodia's Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) program is unique in terms of complexity as well as the difficulties involved in project implementation. This study attempts to articulate the extent to which structural background determines the fate of demobilized combatants. It examines the General Health Assessment (GHA) of 15,000 combatants carried out by the International Organization of Migration (IOM) in 2001–02, as well as the 1998 Cambodian Population Census. Other Cambodian epidemiological data, although very limited in terms of number of studies, are also used as a comparison to the GHA data.
 The DDR program is a most urgent political priority for Cambodian national development as well as the reform of national accounts. One legacy of more than twenty years of civil war is the bloated military sector that consumes a disproportionate share of a very limited budget. Thus, rapid demobilization is needed to control the budget, and the reintegration of combatants (through vocational training, etc.) is crucial to increase GDP. However, the empirical data show that most demobilized combatants are chronically ill, commonly suffering multiple illnesses. Disability, impairment, and psychiatric illnesses are also evident. Furthermore, lack of an appropriate medical referral system has directly resulted in the development of further vulnerability, especially among elderly combatants. Hence, urgent measures are necessary to coordinate the social safety net and, with donor support, regulate the referral system.

抄録全体を表示

Forest area has decreased in northeastern Thailand from 61.8 percent of all land in 1950 to 12.4 percent in 1998. Because forest conservation and reforestation have become important subjects, public forests and the value of forest wildlife have begun to draw public attention. In terms of hunting and gathering wildlife, however, how important are the “forest” and “public land” for rural villagers whose land use is multiple? This paper describes hunting and gathering activities and considers the present situation of public forests. Participatory observation and intensive research with questionnaires and diaries were conducted in six villages in Roi Et from 1997 to 2001. The results are the following: 1) many rural villagers frequently hunt and gather various wildlife; 2) rural villagers hunt and gather most wildlife from rice fields, not forests; 3) villagers hunt and gather most wildlife from private land, not public land; 4) wildlife is freely accessed by everyone and maintains villagers' life and human relationships; 5) “public forest” has changed from land reserved for cultivation to land reserved for government projects; and 6) villagers substitute and complement public forest for other lands.

抄録全体を表示