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. VO and WO members participate in a regular savings programme, and a largely community managed credit programme is run. Selected members are trained in management and leadership skills. With a technical skills training programme selected men and women are trained as Village Specialists (VS) and Master Trainers (MS) in farming related fields. These form a cadre of community-owned extensionists. Some of the elements contributing to the success of AKRSP's approach, emerging through the analysis made in the study are: the promotion of VOs and WOs as significant village institutions; the community managed savings and credit programme; the PPI schemes as catalyst for community development processes; strengthening of the women's position; the VS and MT as community-owned extensionists; and an atmosphere of trust built on transparency and accountability. The study also revealed critical elements such as: the missing of regular participatory technology development activities; that a major part of the trained specialists perceive their role not as actual extensionists, but just as better farmers; a lack of attempts to bring together the two parallel extension structures (government and AKRSP) developed over time; certain equity considerations; and a fairly high level of subsidy elements.
Publication year:
1998
Pages:
53 p.
Publisher reference:
Landwirtschaftliche Beratungszentrale