International Program of Collaborative Research, CSEAS

Mutual Learning Practice-Area Studies for Sustainability of Rural Societies in Myanmar, Bangladesh and Japan
Project Leader: OHNISHI, Nobuhiroi, Bio Environmental Science, Kyoto Gakuen University
（Term：2010 - 2011）

• Outline of Joint Research
• Purpose of Joint Research
• Outline of Result

• Joint Seminars in 2010 Fiscal Year

Outline of Joint Research

Due to the influence of globalization, rural communities in Japan are experiencing the loss of native cultures and their vitality is disappearing. The same has also become an issue in Asian developing countries. Recently in Japan, peoples’ organizations such as NPOs have just started alternative rural development approaches based on their wisdom and pride to “live out our lives in our rural communities”. This research will invite counterparts who are involved in rural development from communities in Bangladesh and Myanmar to conduct practice-oriented area studies through mutual learning in Japan so that they can exchange their experience and opinions with Japanese counterparts in order to help search for solutions to problems. Prof. Khin Oo will be invited as a visiting research fellow to CSEAS in 2011 to conduct her research on the application of alternative rural development approaches to agricultural extensions in Myanmar.

Purpose of Joint Research

This photo was taken in the village of Chaw Sei Pin, Bagan, Myanmar in July 2010 during a time of severe drought in Bagan. The villagers were giving cows the leaves of tree branches as fodder. The trees are locally called Tano, one of the leguminous family trees growing in the dry and semi dry climate in Myanmar. (Ando, 2010)

This landscape disappeared due to a new land consolidation program implemetation in Chitose-cho, Kameoka-shi, Kyoto Prefecture. The red flowers are cluster-amaryllis growing on a ridge of stone and soil surrounding rice fields. The rice fields were established through an ancient land consolidation program known as Jori a thousand years ago. The bulbs of the cluster-amaryllis used to be crops that saved people from famine after being exposed to water and starch. This rural landscape is a very unique one. (Ando, 2005)

The objective of this research is to invite counterparts who are involved in rural development in communities in Bangladesh and Myanmar who will conduct practice-oriented area studies through a mutual learning workshop and PLA in rural Japan with their Japanese counterparts. Through this, they will learn an alternative rural development approach based on their wisdom and pride to “live out our lives in rural communities” and exchange their experience and opinions with each other.

The significance and expected results of this research will be to develop “Area Studies as Practical Learning” through action research so that the scholars can lead to the creation and practice of an alternative paradigm in area studies such as “Co-working Study”. This research will conduct PLA and create an international grass-roots workshop in rural Japan along with counterparts from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Japan so that they can compare their experience from each country and establish a grassroots network linking people’s organizations, NGOs, NPOs and researchers participating in this action research. Through the results gathered from this research, we hope to illustrate a new potential of area studies in a practical way.

Seminars in Fiscal 2010

1. Grass Root International Workshop: Alternative Grass Root Rural Development Approaches -Culture, History and Ecology-
2. Date：February 26 – 27, 2011
3. Venue：Shinrin’ai-So, Hozu-cho, Kameoka city, Kyoto Pref.
4. Host Organizations：Hozu-cho Jichikai, Kameoka city; Institute of Sustainability Science (ISS), Kyoto University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Kyoto University; Kyoto Gakuen University
5. Joint Organizations： Project Hozu River, Kameoka Municipal Museum of Culture
6. Notes：The presentation of Japanese will be done in Japanese and that of the overseas presenters will be in English. The participants must appear at the ticket gate of JR Kameoka at 8:40 on Feb.26 and 27 to proceed for the workshop place.
7. Program：PDF

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