Recently, in developing countries, subsistence agriculture is being converted to export-oriented mono-culture, and the amounts of agricultural chemicals applied to the farmland are increasing every year. The applied chemicals in farmland cause serious environmental problems downstream such as eutrophication, unusual growth of aquatic plants, decrease in dissolved oxygen and accumulation of bottom mud in water resources. Also, there seem to be many cases in which people apply agricultural chemicals without understanding its impact to health and food safety. Therefore, it is necessary to promote and enhance understanding of sustainable rural development among local stakeholders including farmers.

Sustainable rural development aims to meet human needs while preserving the natural environment. As it should cover not only social and economic development but also natural environment conservation, no single organization can achieve sufficiently the aspirations of sustainable rural development. Collaboration among international, governmental and non-governmental organizations, together with the academe and scientific sector, is indispensable.

The knowledge and intelligence accumulated in universities and research institutions are also expected to make the programs facilitated by the international, governmental and non-governmental organizations more adequately implemented and meaningful to societal development. However, these cases especially those implemented locally have been scattered without having been summarized well or recorded in annals of academic or scientific societies.

So, the International Society of Environmental and Rural Development founded in 2010, aims to discuss and develop suitable and effective processes or strategies on sustainable rural development focusing on agricultural and environmental aspects in developing countries.

The ultimate goals of the society are to contribute to sustainable rural development through social and economic development in harmony with the natural environment, and to support the potential or capacity building of local institutions and stakeholders in the rural area with academic background.