Over the last half century, the growing economies of Southeast Asian countries have transformed themselves into middle income countries. Vast industrialization and urbanization have driven the conversion of agricultural land to commercial, industrial, tourism and infrastructural uses. Despite accelerating growth and reduced number of the population living below the international poverty line, most countries of Southeast Asia share many common problems centering on socio-economic inequality, environmental degradation and the deteriorated transformation of the rural landscape. Gaps in societal development, especially in rural area, have been widening in parallel with rapid developmental changes over the past decades. Among ASEAN nations the concrete lesson learned on rural development is scattered. Experiences and knowledge sharing  Through this network will support policy makers and practitioners in identifying solutions for rural development and poverty eradication.

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Puey Ungphakorn College of Development, in collaboration with rural development experts and poverty eradication established a network Puey Ungphakorn Rural Development Network or PURDNet was created to tackle poverty in Asia. The network originated from the 2017 International Experts Conference “On Elimination of Poverty in Asia” at Centara Hotel Udon Thani, Udon Thani Province, where representatives from 18 countries attended the meeting to discuss issues and find solutions in Poverty Eradication in Asia Establish the PURDNet network to continue and push for concrete conclusions at international expert meetings.

The PURDNet network will serve as a hub for academics, NGOs and experts from across Asia. to exchange problems and barriers to poverty eradication including making recommendations to the government or international organizations involved in both academic terms and pushing in operational terms The network is open to opinions from all sectors. and scholars from around the world with the goal of becoming a global network to find a solution to the problem of poverty Starting from Southeast Asia mainly. In the past there has been an exchange of knowledge. Organize concrete activities such as seminars and seminars to discuss poverty issues periodically. There are also academic articles from many countries to share. by not only limited to academics But NGOs or related agencies can also come together to solve problems and eradicate poverty. It is a network that is open to members. and hope one day to see quality of life