This book contains a collection of essays which evolved from the Asian Regional Study Seminar on Rural Unemployment, held by the Marga Institute, Sri Lanka in 1981. It covers the major themes which have direct bearing in the entirety of rural development policies in Asian countries. The twelve articles focus on aspects like economic development and the small farmers in South and South East Asia, combating poverty in Asian villages, energy prospects and alternative strategies of rural transformation and unemployment among rural women. The book will be a useful reference for economists, policy makers, planners and scholars not only in Asia but worldwide.