ABSTRACT
Despite the many profound changes that have taken place in the societies and economies of Southeast Asia since World War II, most people in the region arc still either directly engaged in agriculture or are closely connected to it. To generalize about such a major activity, across a region of 450 million people, is, of course, extremely difficult, given the significant variations among its 11 economies. For example, the proportions of the labor force engaged in farming, fishing, and forestry range from as high as 80% in Cambodia and Laos, around 65% in Vietnam and Burma, and 54% in Thailand, to 45% in Indonesia, 40% in the Philippines, and as low as 16% in Malaysia (see CIA). Nevertheless, there are some important similarities between the agricultural sectors of each of the eight countries of Southeast Asia discussed in this chapter (excluding Brunei and Singapore, where there is little or no agricultural output, and East Timor, where agriculture has been as disrupted as the rest of the Economy in 1999-2000).
