Motivation and background
Economic and institutional reforms in China and Vietnam implemented since the end of the 1970s have caused an impressive growth of agricultural production. In several regions however, this growth was obtained at the expense of the quality of land or other natural resources. As a consequence, future agricultural growth is seriously threatened. This has been recognised by the involved countries. The economic policy aims at reducing the rapid growth rate and to promote sustainable development. Governmental policies aimed at controlling resource degradation are largely based on direct regulation and large-scale public projects. With the transition from planned to market economies however, resource use decisions have largely been transferred to households. Moreover, with the gradual integration of the economies of both countries into the world trading system, environmental policies increasingly have to take international environmental regimes into account. In this sense, the seminar contributes to the analysis of environmental and resource use issues related to agricultural and rural development.

Scope and objectives
The scope of the seminar stretches from theoretical to empirical and policy studies, including cooperation for natural resource management, economics of property rights and institutions, bio-economic modelling, economics of agro-biodiversity and studies linking agricultural production, international trade, economic transition and the environment. The objectives of the seminar are threefold. First, the seminar provides a forum for studies on the links between economic transition and sustainable agricultural development. Domestic economic liberalisation, international trade liberalisation and China’s entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will greatly affect domestic agricultural prices and hence the use of resource in agricultural production, and bring home international environmental regimes, particularly issues of food safety, ISO standardisation and eco-labelling. Micro level analysis will contribute to a better understanding of issues surrounding sustainable agricultural production in East Asian transition countries. Studies on the macro level will enhance our understanding of the relations between sustainability, growth and transition economies. Secondly, the seminar facilitates discussions on international relations in agricultural production, international trade and environmental agreements. Insights from theoretical models and empirical studies will directly help to shape local and international policies to facilitate economic transition in East Asian countries and to improve natural resource management. The role of environmental policies in agricultural production, as well as international agreements for trade will be discussed. Thirdly, the transition from state-dominated to market-oriented economy raises concerns about decentralised, local and informal resource management institutions, and good governance. The seminar offers opportunities for formulating policy responses and strategies for direct action and implementation.