Katz, Elisabeth

Towards community-owned extension: observations on participation and other aspects from the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) in Pakistan

This study analyses the approaches to participation applied by the AKRSP (Aga Khan Rural Support Programme), an NGO running a community-based integrated rural development programme in the mountainous areas of northern Pakistan. AKRSP's basic three principles are organisation of the community, mobilisation of local capital, and skills development. Communities are encouraged to organise themselves into Village and Women's Organisations (VO/WO). Productive Physical Infrastructure (PPI) schemes, financed by the programme and implemented by the community, serve as entry point.