Sustainable Agricultural Growth for Rural Development in Asia: A Review^*

The current world population of 7.6 billion is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030 and 9.8 billion in 2050. Most of the addition will be in developing countries, and the exponential growth in population would require doubling the current food production. This paper discusses several strategies developed to cope with sustainable agricultural growth for rural development in Asia. In Korea, despite the decline in investment in food production in recent times, continuous interventions from the government are critical because agricultural water use is essential for the improvement of rural living standards. Thailand shifted its rural development from a growth-oriented approach to a new model of holistic people-centred and sustainable development. Japan emphasized the importance of multi-functionality to be taken into account to evaluate water use for agriculture in Asia. Indonesia accepted challenges based on the current roles of irrigation development in food security and poverty eradication. Turkey flagged its group agricultural practices (GAPs), a south-eastern Anatolia project, to showcase its multi-sector and integrated regional development approach in the context of sustainable development. To cope with food insecurity, it is necessary to find effective ways to use agricultural water for production and environmental services at the same time for sustainable rural development.