The Asian Workshop on Research Methodologies on the Green Revolution

Abstract

This is a brief report on the international seminar as titled above, to which I was a participant. Portions of this report have been adapted from a draft report prepared by the organizer of the seminar. The workshop on research methodologies on green revolution was jointly sponsored by the Asian Association of Development Research and Training Institutes, the School of Economics of the University of the Philippines and the International Development Research Centre at Ottawa, Canada. The workshop was held for five days from 19th to 23rd February in Manila. Twenty two participants representing eight Asian countries and four international organizations attended the workshop Since the Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University, has been a member institute of the Asian Association of Development Research and Training Institutes, representation of the School was requested by the Association. Objectives of the workshop were to exchange green revolution research experiences, to identify problem areas for research, and to probe into meaningful ways of international cooperation. First two days of the workshop were devoted to the discussion of methodological problems and findings of two research projects in the area of rice production. Titles of the two research projects are: "Changes in Rice Farming in Selected Areas of Asia," being carried out by the International Rice Research Institute, and "The Social and Economic Implications of the Large-Scale Introduction of High Yielding Varieties of Food Grain" carried out by the United Nations Research Institute of Social Development. The IRRI study covers 14 villages of six Asian countries, and the UNRISD study is global in scope. Purposes, methods and findings of both crosscountries research projects were presented to the meeting and discussions on them followed. Participants raised various questions and made comments on conceptual problems and research techniques. Critical issues brought out in the course of discussion seemed centered around the problem of developing valid criteria and indicators of comparison in cross-country studies.