International Rural Studies
Laboratory Websites
Staff
Research Topics
Based on field surveys in Asia, we examine relationships between rural development and environment in contemporary globalized societies. We also explore how we can redirect ourselves toward "sustainable development" from the perspective of local communities.
Roles of endogenous self-organization in natural resource management
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The commons are the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a community, which are not often managed by the "invisible hand" under a market system. It is the local community that uses the commons sustainably, and endogenous self-organization plays a crucial role in forming norms for sustainable resource exploitation. In this context, our research interests focus on rural communities in exploiting natural resources, with study areas including Japan, Korea, China, and Vietnam.
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 Terraced paddy fields cultivated by ethnic minorities (Sapa, Vietnam, 2011) |
Conditions of participatory management of regional resources in Japan
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Farmland and irrigation and drainage facilities serve as agricultural infrastructure for paddy fields and also contribute to society in other ways, for example, in reducing damage caused by heavy rains or in developing visually favorable landscapes. In recent decades, depopulation and aging of farmers have made it difficult for rural communities to properly maintain this infrastructure. Therefore, there is growing awareness that addressing this problem requires new participation in the maintenance by non-farmers. This research clarifies how rural communities actually maintain them and the factors affecting resident participation in maintenance.
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 Small hydro power plant operated by rural community
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Publication List
- Quy Le Ngoc Phuong, Doo-Chul Kim (2023), “Sedentarization program and everyday resistance to state intervention in Vietnam’s upland”, in Pushkar Pradhan, Walter Leimgruber(eds.) Nature, Society, and Marginality: Case Studies from Nepal, Southeast Asia and other regions, Springer, pp.237-250.
- Doo-Chul KIM, Tuyen Thi Duong, Quang Nguyen, Hung The Nguyen (2022), “Does an Agricultural Products’ Certification System Reorganize Vegetable Farmers? A case of VietGAP in Lam Dong Province, Vietnam”, in Holly R. Barcus, Roy Jones, and Serge Schmitz(eds.) Rural Transformations: Globalization and its Implications for Rural People, Land, and Economies, Routledge, pp. 200-216.
- DUONG Thi Thu Ha, KIM Doo-Chul (2022), “Why the Land Consolidation of Vietnam is Incomplete: A Case Study of Binh Dao Commune, Central Vietnam”, Geographical Review of Japan Series B, Vol. 95, No.2, pp.1-14.
- Doo-Chul Kim (2021), “Depopulation, aging, and rural restructuring in Japan”, Journal of Depopulation and Rural Development Studies(AGER), 33. pp. 107-123.
- Quang Nguyen, Doo-Chul Kim (2020), “Reconsidering rural land use and livelihood transition under the pressure of urbanization in Vietnam: A case study of Hanoi”, Land Use Policy, 99. 1-13.
- Yasuko Honda (2021)” Energizing Communities through Partnership with External Actors: Small-scale Hydropower Projects in Japan” Journal of Asian Rural Studies 5(1) 63-77 http://dx.doi.org/10.20956/jars.v5i1.2656