Overview
This project aimed to engage the marginalised and disadvantaged, respecting and encouraging ownership by the partner country of change strategies, and to make a tangible difference in the lives of poor people.
The project used participatory action research methodology and began with an extensive information gathering involving baseline survey, capacity inventory, focus groups, and case study. From 2005 to 2010, AusAID funded ASLP1 to improve Pakistan development outcomes for three target agricultural industries (mango, dairy, snd citrus) by focusing on various aspects of their supply chains. In 2010, towards the end of ASLP1, the Pakistan-Australian Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy guided a second phase of ASLP, and aimed to collaborate strategically to improve livelihood systems for the rural poor in Pakistan.
Project outcomes
- Delivered a rich data set from the baseline survey of 750 low income rural households in Pakistan, providing information on the characteristics and preferences of both heads of household and their spouses.
- Developed infrastructure, in the form of community service centres, and training programs for low income households, responsive to the needs expressed by these households, in the focal villages.
- Developed the use of ICT, in the form of FarmPhone and FarmSMS, for communication and extension.
- Improved understanding of the methods and challenges of cross-disciplinary collaboration and of the challenges of inter-household collaboration for economic benefit and the differences between men and women in their attitude to such collaborations.
