Transformation of the Rural Economy in Rubber producing Areas in Southwest China

亚洲发展中国家的农村地区发生了重大变化。农业生产力提高了，农村经济实现了商业化和多样化，最终贫困现象减少了。同时，农业从传统的自给自足、低投入的体系向以市场为导向、外部投入高的体系的转变，造成了自然资源和环境的退化。此外，农业劳动力大量外流，导致劳动力短缺，农村社会生活发生重大变化。因此，研究如何更好地了解这些进程，并找出有助于最大限度地减少负面影响和确定可持续发展道路的方法，是一个挑战。在充满挑战的环境中，农村经济快速转型的一个很好的例子是位于西南部中国的云南省傣族自治州。该地区是东南亚山区的典型代表，尤其是湄公河国家。在这个地区，可以发现各种各样的少数民族，他们也存在于老挝、缅甸、泰国和越南等邻国。作为BMBF资助的湄公河地区可持续橡胶研究项目(SURUMER)的项目成员，申请人与其中国研究伙伴合作进行了与该主题相关的先前研究。特别是，成立了一个独特的小组，在2013年和2015年由XSBN约600名胶农组成的两次浪潮。这项提案的核心是通过增加另一波专家组来加强现有的专家组，并扩大样本，将非橡胶农户也包括在内。由于小组数据扩大到三个时期，拟议的项目提供了独特的机会，使人们能够更深入地了解发展中国家较不受欢迎和对生态敏感的地区的农业转型情况，这是基于强有力的经验观察，同时提供了改进方法的很大潜力。

Rural areas in developing countries in Asia underwent significant changes. Productivity in agriculture has increased, commercialization and diversification of the rural economy has taken place and ultimately poverty has declined. At the same time the transformation of agriculture from traditional, self-sufficiency and low input systems to market orientated systems with high external inputs has caused degradation of natural resources and the environment. Furthermore, agriculture has experienced significant outmigration of laborers which has led to the shortage of labor and to major changes in the social life of rural villages. Hence, there is a challenge for research to generate a much better understanding of these processes and to identify ways that can help to minimize downside effects and identifying sustainable development paths. A good example of a rapid transformation of the rural economy in challenging environments is the Dai Autonomous Prefecture (XSBN) of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. The region is typical for the mountainous areas of Southeast Asia especially in the Mekong countries. In this region a diversity of ethnic minority groups can be found who are also present in neighboring countries like Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. As a project member of the a BMBF funded research project Sustainable Rubber in the Mekong Region (SURUMER) the applicant in cooperation with his Chinese research partner have undertaken prior research related to this topic. In particular, a unique panel with two waves in 2013 and 2015 of some 600 rubber farmers in XSBN has been established. The core of this proposal is to enhance the existing panel by adding another panel wave and expand the sample to include also non rubber farmers. With a panel data expanded to three periods the proposed project offers the unique opportunity to generate a deeper understanding of agricultural transformation in less favored and ecologically sensitive regions in developing countries which is based on strong empirical observations and at the same time offers high potential for methodological improvements.