An economic transformation has occurred in much of rural Asia during the last two decades. Large parts of the region have made remarkable progress with substantial gains in food security, per capita income, quality of life, and poverty reduction. Yet, rural Asia remains home to 700 million people living in poverty, many of whom have no access to safe water and sanitation.

To explore new opportunities and challenges facing rural society in Asia, a study of rural Asia was undertaken by ADB. The output of that study was published in five volumes. This publication provides an overview of that study and a synthesis of all its output. The main recommendations contained in the five volumes have been included here and should prove useful to rural development specialists and policymakers involved in designing and implementing development strategies that will improve the quality of life of the rural population in the years ahead. The rich diversity of experiences observed within rural Asia in recent decades provides fertile ground for drawing lessons about which policies work and which do not work for achieving the multiple objectives of growth, environmental sustainability, and poverty reduction. Asian countries clearly have much to learn from one another.

Keywords
Rural Asia; overpopulation; poor access to safe water and sanitation; issues in rural society; environmental sustainability; poverty reduction; rural development in Asia

Topic: Agriculture and Natural Resources; Economic Development; Environment; Finance

Publication Date: December 2000

ISBN: 9715612725