Impact of Agricultural Services Provided by Non-State Actors on Rural Livelihoods: A Case of District Mansehra, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

The failure of state actors/institutions in the country in delivering agricultural advisory and extension services to the rural community created a space for non-state actors to deliver these services at the door steps of majority of the rural poor people in order to improve their livelihoods. This situation prevails in all the four provinces of the country especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where rural poverty is evident. In order to access the impact of agricultural services rendered by different non-state institutions on the livelihoods of rural poor in this region, the current research study was designed. The study was conducted in district Mansehra (one of the most populated district of Hazara division). Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used for the collection of data from respondents. The data were collected from the rural community of those villages where the selected non-state organizations were involved in a variety of rural development related activities/tasks. The data were collected from 450 respondents randomly selected from 6 villages. The collected data were analyzed by using computer based statistical software -SPSS. From the results it was concluded that majority of the respondents had age between 36-50 years with secondary educational level. The land holding size of the respondents in the research was very small. It was also concluded that a large majority (>80.0%) of respondents said that agricultural services rendered by non-state institutions like extension education, trainings related to crop & livestock management, poultry & forestry services, vaccination for livestock and awareness campaigns regarding latest agricultural technologies improved their overall agricultural productivity as well as livelihoods. It was also concluded that regarding impacts of agricultural services rendered by non-state organizations, a large majority of the respondents (89.6%) said that their agricultural services increased their agricultural productivity. While exploring the reasons due to which agricultural related services of non-state organizations play role in improving livelihoods of rural people, the results of the study indicated that in extension and education services majority (54.6%) of the respondents said that social organizations provided good quality extension and education related services to the rural community. Finally, it was concluded that agricultural services of non-state organizations were very effective and played a significant role in upgrading the livelihoods of rural poor.

Effects of Devolution on Efficiency of Agricultural Extension in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

“…Likewise, Akintonde et al (2012) concluded that T&V system provided an organizational structure and comprehensive delivery medium by ensuring the regular visit of extension field workers and transferring information relevant to farmers' needs and problems. These findings are contradictory to those of Luqman et al (2016) who reported that non-state actors played effective role in dissemination of information as compared to state actors. Moreover, agricultural services were successfully rendered by private sector in the study area.…”

Rural Development Through Non-State Actors in Highlands of Pakistan

“…Non-state institutions were providing relief to people (84%) in terms of technical guidance and monetary services and improving rural infrastructure (80%). Findings are similar to those of Luqman et al (2016) where they found non-state actors achieving their objectives, increasing farm production, improving livelihood, achieving food security, and escalating social capital within society in KPK. N. Ahmad et al (2009) and Zada et al (2019) have concluded that non-state actors boosted the self-confidence and vision of self-help among people in KPK through learning-centered training sessions with people in the region.…”

“…The staff has an effective approach to utilize their strength to meet their goals. Bhaskar and Geethakutty (2001) had appraised the contribution of non-state institutions toward sustainable development and alleviation of poverty through poverty alleviation programs under NGOs (Enyioko, 2012) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) (Luqman et al, 2016). One of the key informants discussed different reasons persuading people to acclaim non-state institutions and commented about the extension advisory service providers in particular:…”

“…The average educational level could be a possible reason for persisting poverty in the region. Luqman et al (2016) assessed the impacts of agricultural services provided by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in district Mansehra of KPK province and linked the presence of poverty with poor educational level among respondents. In another study, Javed et al (2008) found that those who had poor educational level were poorer and food insecure.…”

“…Although state departments gained little success, their efficiency in addressing the real needs of rural community is not much significant (Baig & Khan, 2006). Besides state-owned rural development departments, non-state actors are also working to develop rural communities on sustained basis (Luqman et al, 2016). Role of state institutions met with partial success in past giving non-state institutions an opportunity to emerge, perform effectively, and progress accordingly (Baloch & Thapa, 2018).…”