Poverty alleviation has been the main slogan of all governments in Pakistan. A number of steps have been taken for its elimination but in vain. Poverty is rapidly encircling and entangling our rural segment into its strong spiny paws.
The rural population is not only poor in terms of income and job opportunities and the provision of basic services but also in modern mindset, including all socio-psychological aspects.
Out of the total population, around 60 per cent people reside in rural areas, out of which seven per cent are big landlords, 20 per cent intermediate level farmers, and the remaining are with an average of 3.87 acres of land with five to six mouths to feed.
The total poor, who fall below poverty line are more than 44 million, out of this 31.9 million poor are from rural areas. From 1993 to 1999 more than 12 million joined the poverty club and this entry is on rise due to rapidly increasing population, fragmentation of farms and mismanagement in terms of natural resources.
If we go into depth of matter and try to understand and assess the phenomenon why poverty declined from 29.3 in 1987-1988 to 24.8 per cent in 1992-93 and then jumped up to 38.65 per cent in 2002-03,the fact discloses on us that in first round the growth was distributive that benefited the very fabric of the rural community but in second round the growth was undistributive and benefited a limited group resulting into the phenomena of "poor getting poorer and rich richer".
Between 70s to 90s our rural community, which was rich in natural resources like the abundance of irrigation water, high rainfalls, low farm input costs, vast cultivated areas, low population growth and large farm sizes, turned to intensive farming system and enjoyed high farm income.
This benefited the whole community but later lack of management and rapidly increasing population exerted a tremendous pressure on small farms. They became poor owing to fragmentation of farms and are now become being termed as the "endangered species".
On the other hand our elite rural class of landlords and feudal kept getting richer. Though on average our growth rate is satisfactory as compared to other developing countries but its charms and benefits are for upper class. That's why the macro-stability in developing and poor countries proves making "poor poorer and rich richer.
This raises a question whether an individual with 3 to 4 acres holding practice the mechanized agriculture - high input costs and low farm output - and also fulfil basic and educational needs of his five-six family members, certainly not.
If they are kept ignored by the governments what would happen in 30 to 50 years time. Result, poverty explosion and social disasters. What should be done and what we need is an integrated approach and firm commitment.
The following steps are being suggested for policy makers:
*There is a need to streamline the agriculture sector on sustainable basis by building dams, banning farm fragmentation, making available credit and marketing facilities, announcing effective policies, introducing high yielding crop varieties and addressing soil problems.
*Need to create awareness on family planning among rural folks.
*Human resource development strategy should be on top of the agenda.
*Empowerment of rural women through modern education.
*The government should convince industrial bodies to establish network of small agri-based units like meat and milk processing plants.
*Developmental projects should be executed under the supervision of the PRSP. This will minimize the role of feudal and political bodies that create hurdles in rural developmental projects.
*Education system should be modified to fulfil the needs of poor and rich alike.
*Feudalism should be uprooted.
*Hospitals and schools should be established on modem lines to
ensure better health and education facilities.
*Billions are spent on poverty alleviation but that does not justify the ground realities. There should be a remote system of checks and balances to ensure the optimum use of the money.
*The government should honour the children of small farmers with scholarships for higher studies.
