Rice land ownership and tenancy systems in southeast asia: facts and issues based on ten village studies

TLDR: In this paper, the authors conducted a series of village studies in major rice double-cropping areas in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines to understand the evolution of land tenure and agricultural development in Southeast Asia.

Abstract: APID development in rice farming in Southeast Asia, promoted by significant improvements in infrastructure, technology, and support institutions, has caused substantial changes in the production structure of this staple food during the past decades. In some countries in more recent years, rapid economic development has been achieved by industrialization, with a significant impact on rural society and agricultural production. It is expected that the role of rice farming and related institutions, including land tenure systems, in the village economy have also undergone substantial alterations in the region. From the 1970s through 80s, during the period of rapid change in rice production and macroeconomic conditions in Southeast Asia, I was able to conduct a series of village studies in major rice double-cropping areas in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Most of the research findings have already been published as books [1] [3] [5] [6] [7], but it may be worthwhile to put these empirical findings into comparative perspective. It seems audacious to conduct such an overview of Southeast Asia and my analysis is certainly in the nature of a preliminary attempt to verify land tenure systems in major rice-growing areas in the region. The information and discussion on the following subjects will probably be useful for analyzing agrarian transformation to provide a better understanding of the evolution of land tenure and agricultural development in Southeast Asia. This study will attempt to: (1) clarify the current state of land tenure systems and rice