The Iban are the largest ethnic group in Sarawak. This paper analyses their participation in one of the most common forms of rural non‐agricultural activities in Sarawak, namely commercial handicraft production (CHP). Traditionally, the Iban produce handicrafts for personal use. With the introduction of the Iban to the cash economy, the presence of demand for their handicrafts, and the growing insecurities in the rural economy one would expect Iban craftspersons to participate actively in RNAE and produce handicrafts for commercial purposes. Some Iban craftspersons have taken up CHP, while others have not. Some have achieved economic “success” while others have failed. This suggests that there are different responses to, and impact of non‐agricultural activities (particularly CHP) on the Iban in rural Sarawak. This paper addresses the following key questions: What are the factors preventing rural communities from taking up and/or succeeding in RNAE, particularly commercial handicraft production? Is it due to the lack of willingness among Iban craftspersons to participate in commercial activities? Is it due to limited access to market and institutional support? This paper is based on a survey conducted on 200 Iban craftspersons from eleven longhouses in Kapit Division, Sarawak between 1993 until 1996

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Problem statement: Integrated Agricultural Development Project (IADP) is a platform for rural socioeconomic improvement. This initiative has raised the income of farmers by creating a large scale fruits producer in Sarawak. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify the direct impact of the agricultural development project on socioeconomic improvement in the Samarahan area. Conclusion:The project was generally implemented as an appraisal to increase the incomes of rural population through fruit cultivation as a main economic activity. It was concluded that this project is efficient as a tool to combat poverty and improved the socioeconomic level and income generating activities among the rural community.

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Tindakan afirmatif merupakan mekanisme penyelesaian konflik dalam situasi ketegangan etnik dan ketidakseimbangan sosioekonomi. Di Malaysia, tindakan afirmatif dilaksanakan melalui Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB) mulai 1970 bagi menangani ketidakseimbangan ekonomi dan ketidaksetaraan kekayaan antara etnik melalui agihan semula ekuiti dengan matlamat 30% dimiliki Bumiputra dan 40% dimiliki bukan Bumiputra. Setelah kira-kira 40 tahun perlaksanaannya, matlamat agihan ekuiti masih gagal dicapai. Namun, adakah perlaksanaan tindakan afirmatif memberi kesan kepada agihan kekayaan bagi setiap etnik. Oleh itu, kajian ini bertujuan untuk menilai pengaruh tindakan afirmatif kepada agihan kekayaan antara etnik di Malaysia. Kajian ini menggunakan data ekuiti mengikut etnik bagi tempoh 1969 hingga 2012 dan diuji menggunakan pendekatan Autoregrasi Lat Tertabur (ARDL). Dapatan menunjukkan perlaksanaan tindakan afirmatif mempunyai pengaruh dalam mempengaruhi agihan kekayaan antara etnik dalam jangka masa pendek dan jangka masa panjang. Kajian juga membuktikan agihan kekayaan antara kumpulan etnik diagihkan melalui ekonomi yang berkembang dan bukannya melalui pengambilan hak milik etnik lain terutamanya etnik Cina dan dipindahkan kepada Bumiputra.