Landless Peasants and Rural Poverty in Indonesia and the Philippines

摘要

The dramatic rise in the number of poor, landless peasants to 84.7% of all rural households in Indonesia and to 77.4% in the Philippines is a seemingly contradictory but direct result of economic growth and rising GNP. This paper examines how rising rates of economic output and expanding incomes are linked to pervasive unemployment and growing income disparities in these two countries. Economic discrepancies are not, however, inevitable. Government policies can reverse inequitable ownership by promoting formation of cooperatives and by shifting credit accessibility to small borrowers. The promotion of low-cost and labor-intensive technology in addition to training opportunities in new skills can significantly reduce the plight of the landless and the effects of rural poverty. Urgent action is needed, for as the range of options diminishes, the current inequitable growth process threatens political and social stability.