A NON-CONVENTIONAL WAY OF GETTING EXTENSION TO FARMERS

The paper in hand is based on a study conducted infour selected villages ofdistrict Hangu, NWFP during2008-09, addressing the important issues of rural social mobilization towards productive investments, credit enterprise development, human and natural resource management and the role ofNGOs. The main objective oftheresearch was to appraise the role of SRSP in agricultural development in district Hangu. A sample of 80respondents was selected through a simple random sample procedure from the selected villages. Almost halfoftheinterviewed respondents were engaged in farming profession, mostly owner. The majority ofthe respondents werefound literate. The study found encouraging results for the role and impact ofthe NGO (SRSP) in Hangu. Mostlyrespondent were optimistic about the role of SRSP and reported its remarkable influence on the agriculturalproductivity. A visible improvement in the crop yields of wheat, maize, tomato, pea s okra and bottle ground wasreported. The use of agricultural inputs like chemical fertilizer, insecticideslweedicides and improved seeds etc.doubled in the wake SRSP interventions. Through a scheme of bull distribution by the SRSP in the project area thelivestock production also improved. Farmers were made aware of vaccination and in the use of balanced feed tolivestock and poultry that resulted in increased production of both livestock and poultry. More than half of thesample respondents were not aware about the presence of extension workers of the provincial agriculturedepartment in the project area. The majority of the respondents regretted the lack of cooperation between theprovincial extension department workers and the SRSP staff According to this research a large group of86 percentofthe respondents viewed that extension agents were not playing a beneficial rolefor the project area.