SEARCA releases new book on 'inclusive and sustainable agricultural and rural development'

The 2016 ARD book focuses on four main themes, namely: Regional/Sub-regional Integration (Chapter 2), Institutions and Governance (Chapter 3), Inclusive Growth (Chapter 4), and Sustainability (Chapter 5). Dr. Cielito F. Habito, SEARCA Senior Fellow and Professor of Economics at Ateneo de Manila University, authored the book’s overview and synthesis chapters. Dr. Larry C.Y. Wong, Former Program Director of Technology, Innovation, Environment and Sustainability (TIES), Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia, and Dr. Lourdes S. Adriano, Agriculture Program Manager, The Core Agriculture Support Program; Dr. Nipon Poapongsakorn, Distinguished Fellow and Acting Program Director of Thailand Development Research Institute Foundation and Dr. Tey Yeong Sheng, Senior Research Officer at the Universiti Putra Malaysia; Dr. Jonna P. Estudillo, Professor at National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Japan and Dr. Keijiro Otsuka, Professor at Kobe University; and Dr. Percy E. Sajise, Honorary Research Fellow, Bioversity International and Dr. Doris Capistrano, Regional Advisor to ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change co-wrote Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Dr. Habito, Dr. Capistrano, and SEARCA Director Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr. served as editors of the book.

Chapter 1 provides an overview of the book and explains that the publication drew heavily from the wealth of knowledge and information shared during the 2nd International Conference on ARD in Southeast Asia, which was convened by SEARCA on 12-13 November 2014. Chapter 2 provides a discussion on how public-private partnership arrangements at national and border trade levels are evolving in the context of the ASEAN Economic Community and are coping with the complexities of global trade environment. Chapter 3 discusses the new and emerging institutions in the transformation of ASEAN agriculture and why governments in ASEAN need to adopt new institutions in ARD policies. The fourth chapter explores the channels through which ARD has been instrumental in the pursuit of inclusive growth in Southeast Asia. Chapter 5 addresses the imperative of sustainability at it relates to agricultural and rural development in the region, with emphasis on the three interlocking pillars of sustainability, namely the economic pillar; the ecological pillar, and the social pillar. The last chapter synthesizes the knowledge embodied in the various chapters and consolidates the policy recommendations drawn from the discussions.

The book launch was attended by representatives from partner institutions, donor agencies, the academe, research organizations, private and government institutions, and agriculture ministries from countries across Southeast Asia. (Maria Katrina Punto)

For more information about the book, please contact:

Research and Development Department (RDD) and Knowledge Resources Unit (KRU)
SEARCA College, Los Baños, Laguna 4031 Philippines
Tel. No. (63-49) 554-9330 to 9337; (63-02) 657-1300 to 1301 local 3200
Fax: (63-49) 536-2283 (Attn: KRU)
Email: or visit www.searca.org