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A Study of rural development in developing economies may not evoke much lively interest among economists and policy makers since innumerable research has been conducted and published in this field over the past two decades, particularly in the context of an enormous emphasis placed by leading international financial institutions and donor agencies on the so called integrated rural development projects. What is needed now, to be meaningful for the people living in rural areas in Asia, is an alternative approach to promote self- reliance in their economic lives. This book attempts to explore such an the basis of empirical field work carried out in Export Production Villagers capabilities and entitlements by creating productive employment in the village itself through the utilization of major non – commodity production inputs available in rural society. The villages studied in Sri Lanka revealed the significance of non- commodity social relations in respect of landed property, labour force and credit. People in the targeted villages are found to consider many of their functions in non- market terms rather than in monetary terms.
The original dissertation submitted to the Ryukoku University by the author contained a substantial comparative study concerning the historical development and the contemporary self- reliant economic conditions of tea industry in the Uji district in Japan. Uji is widely known in Japan as the area producing the best quality tea in Japan having a sister city alliance with Nuwara- Eliya in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, this part of his study is not incorporated in the book. The author focuses chiefly on the case studies carried out in Sri Lanka. The non – inclusion of comparative material pertaining to Uji is presumably due to difficulties in accommodating the Japanese case material at this stage in the book. Painstaking effort is required to interpret the socio- cultural background of Japanese rural community for the benefit of the reading public in English.
In the latter part of the nineteenth century, tea was the major export item of Japan to the international market, especially to the U.S.A. and Europe. It provided the important source of valuable foreign exchange earnings which constituted the pivotal factor in the early stages of her ambitious industrialization programme. After World War II, the Uji producers suspended the export of their quality tea to foreign countries, but concentrated in the local market. After the modernization of the tea industry, they ceased to be tenant cultivators or agricultural laborers any more, and became independent owner cultivation. Their farms are managed chiefly by family members except for hiring part- time workers in the plucking season (May and June ). They have formed several local co-operative societies through which farmer could mobilise funds necessary for renovation of farm equipment without depending upon outside lending institutions. In short. Landed property, labour – power and credit have been de- commoditised in the long process of rural development, and today an Uji tea producer of one hectare of farm land is able to earn annually eight to ten million yen (2.4 to 3.3 million rupees )while enjoying much more comfortable life than an average employee of transnational corporations in Tokyo or Osaka.
Dr. Piyadasa Ratnayake continues his research into self- reliant approaches for rural development in Japanese villages while teaching at the saga University in Sourthern Japan. I hope, along with the readers of the present volume, that this is not the last word on self- reliant approaches to rural development and will be followed soon by his second book based on the field work in rural Japan, when he expands, amplifies and amends the present frame of reference using the fruits of his study of the Japanese cases.
Sinhale And The Patriots 1815-1818
Author: P.E.Pieris
Our Price: $89.00
History of Ceylon Book - IV
Author: H. C. Ray,
Our Price: $39.00
Memoirs Of The Archaeological Survey of Ceylon Vol
Author: S. Paranavitana
The Rock And Wall Paintings of Sri Lanka
Author: Senake Bandaran
Our Price: $129.00
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