FOREWORD

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Proper utilization of land is essential to sustainable agricultural production and economic development. In many APO member countries, however, land and other natural resources are under increasingly intense pressure for development. Industrialization and urbanization due to rapid population growth and efforts to reduce poverty threaten the land and water resources of many countries. Since most Asian countries cannot conveniently expand their cultivated areas, policy makers are seeking ways to intensify production and raise farmers’ income on existing land. Heavy investments are being made to improve irrigation systems and to diversify and enhance the level of productivity. Land utilization systems are being developed to optimize land and water resource use. Land-use planning, however, must be based on reliable data and the application of scientific knowledge to conserve land resources and improve agricultural productivity.

To review the current status of land utilization systems in member countries and to identify issues and strategies for improving the contribution of land utilization systems to the enhancement of agricultural productivity, the APO organized a seminar on this subject which was hosted by the Islamic Republic of Iran in November 2000. This volume contains papers and proceedings of the seminar. We hope that it will prove useful to all those interested in land utilization systems and agricultural productivity relationships.

I wish to express my appreciation to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for hosting the seminar and to the National Iranian Productivity Organization (NIPO) and Ministry of Agriculture for implementing the program. Special thanks are due to the resource speakers for sharing their time and expertise with the participants and to Professor Dr. Lyman S. Willardson for editing the publication.

– TAKASHI TAJIMA, APO Secretary-General, Tokyo, February 2003