Policy Seminar / Book Launching Transforming the Rural Asian Economy: The Unfinished Revolution International Food Policy Research Institute 2033 K Street, NW, Washington, DC Fourth Floor Conference Facility Tuesday, May 29, 2001 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. RSVP by May 23, 2001 Presented by the authors, Mark Rosegrant and Peter Hazell FOR MORE INFORMATION 2020 Brief (PDF 30K) Appendix 2 from Rural Asia - Beyond the Green Revolution (PDF 50K) Order the book Developing Asia has made remarkable strides since the food crises of the 1960s. Improvements in food security, poverty reduction, and per capita income initiated by the Green Revolution have been substantial and lasting. For Asia as a whole, per capita income nearly tripled and food availability per person increased by more than 20 percent between 1970 and 1995. The proportion of Asians living in poverty fell by one-half, despite a substantial increase in population. Nevertheless, about 670 million rural Asians still live in poverty and they must tolerate lower levels of health, education, and general well-being than their urban counterparts. The vast majority of these rural inhabitants still rely, directly or indirectly, on agriculture, forestry, or fishing for their livelihoods, a dependence that places enormous pressure on natural resources. The continuing degradation of these resources could well cause social conflict over remaining resources and discontent about the widening gap between urban and rural quality of life. In this seminar, Mark Rosegrant and Peter Hazell, the authors of a new book on rural Asia (Transforming the Rural Asian Economy: The Unfinished Revolution, Oxford University Press for the Asian Development Bank), will examine the progress the region has made since the 1960s and the challenges that remain. They will briefly explore these challenges, which include making economic growth pro-poor, managing the legacy of the economic crisis, managing globalization, revitalizing agricultural research and technology dissemination, managing land and water scarcity and degradation, and building good governance and social capital. Rosegrant and Hazell will then assess alternative futures for Asian food supply and demand and food security. They will show that decisions taken today will fundamentally determine whether the rural transformation can be completed, thereby bringing Asians a radically improved level of food security. "Transforming the Rural Asian Economy is a compelling reminder that the 'Asian Miracle' had its origins in the countryside. Instructors will find the volume an especially valuable agricultural complement to the many texts on Asia's industrial development. Students of all ages and occupations will be impressed by the analytic insights and wisdom displayed by Rosegrant and Hazell as they weave together the lessons that can be learned from Asia's diverse agricultural experiences." -- Dr. Walter Falcon Professor of International Agricultural Policy at Stanford University Copies of the book will be available for sale. You are cordially invited to join the authors for lunch immediately following the seminar. Kindly RSVP to 202-862-8107 or Email: S.Hill-Lee@cgiar.org.

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