ABSTRACT
With the majority of the working population of the Philippines involved in food and fibre production, it is not surprising that government policy focuses on the improvement of rural productivity. Rural development is the concern of all levels of government – as it is for other organizations, from local associations of subsistence farmers, to international agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Philippines provides an ideal context for the investigation of the interplay of discourses and practices of rural development. Indeed, the nation has seemingly trialled every major development strategy since the Second World War.
