In 1982, when the first Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) was started in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, the rugged region was one of the poorest areas in the developing world. Isolated and bypassed by advancements elsewhere, these rural communities of different ethnic and religious backgrounds struggled to eke out a meagre living, farming small holdings in the harsh environment of this mountainous desert ecosystem. The 1.3 million people in the AKRSP programme area lived in small villages widely dispersed throughout an area covering almost 90,000 square kilometres, an area larger than Ireland.
AKRSP’s challenge over the last 36 years has been to create inclusive processes of development that diverse communities could participate in and sustain. Notable achievements include a significant increase in incomes (AKRSP contributed to the doubling of farm incomes in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral between 2001 and 2008), the construction of hundreds of bridges, irrigation channels and small infrastructure projects, and the planting of tens of millions of trees.
Other achievements are the introduction of hydro-electricity in remote areas (AKRSP is responsible for installing hundreds of mini-hydels, the creation of thousands of savings groups, the reclamation and cultivation of hundreds of hectares of degraded land and the mobilisation of almost 5,000 community organisations. Profound changes in social, political and economic conditions have necessitated an evolution of programme approaches to address the most pressing needs of the rural population and take advantage of emerging opportunities. Current interventions are therefore focused on:
- Strengthening Local Support Organisations (LSOs) as well as community-level Village and Women’s organisations (V/WOs) with training and financial support so that they are better able to plan and manage social and economic development activities;
- Strengthening agricultural livelihoods by improving water management, diversifying farming systems and strengthening connections between agricultural suppliers, producers and processors;
- Generating non-farm employment and developing entrepreneurial skills through training and market development;
- Promoting financial inclusion through community-based savings groups; and
- Improving the availability and quality of small- and medium-scale infrastructure in order to strengthen livelihood opportunities and improve access to markets and social services.
AKRSP interventions have reached approximately 135,000 households.
Local Support Organisations (LSOs) are central to the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP)’s approach to local participation and play an important role in planning and implementing rural development activities in agriculture, non-farm enterprise, employment, and infrastructure.
They also help to mobilise matching funds from communities, which helps to ensure community ownership and sustainability of project activities.
The majority of households in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral remain dependent on agriculture for their income and the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) has played a central role in increasing productivity and improving marketing of local produce.
As a result of AKRSP, government and other development partners’ efforts, farm incomes in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral more than doubled between 2001 and 2008, while increased staple food crop production has resulted in greater food security for vulnerable populations. With funding from USAID, AKRSP is currently working with government and local partners to develop and implement the Satpara Development Project’s Irrigation Master Plan, primarily in Skardu district. Under this programme, AKRSP is working to improve the management of irrigation water through 149 water user associations. The programme will help farmers take advantage of more reliable irrigation water to diversify their agricultural production. AKRSP will also train farmers’ enterprise groups on new technologies and innovations, and will help them connect with markets and agro-processors to secure higher prices for their crops. Since intractable poverty remains a feature in the remote, mountainous programme area, AKRSP launched a livelihoods enhancement and protection programme in 2012. The initiative provides livestock packages, including training, to 662 particularly poor and vulnerable households and is supported by the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF).
