SOCIAL MOBILIZATION ACTIVITIES UNDER ASSAM AGRICULTURAL COMPETITIVENESS PROJECT (AACP) – A WORLD BANK FUNDED PROGRAMME

Centre for Rural Development (CRD) since 2000 has been working with the ARIAS Society, as the District Nodal NGO in Kamrup district, for implementing the Assam Agricultural Competitiveness Project (AACP). Assam Agricultural Competitiveness Project (AACP) is an ongoing project of Govt. of Assam funded by the World Bank. The programme is meant for the development of agricultural infrastructure and market-led extension service to enhance livelihood for the rural people. The project has its four different components in Kamrup district i.e. Agriculture, Fishery, Dairy and Forestry. While technical services of the programme are being rendered by the relevant line departments, the social mobilization process has been facilitated by Non- Governmental Organizations (NGO) in each districts of Assam.

The AACP is mainly facilitating market driven agricultural intensification and diversification by assisting farmers to become more competitive and able to take advantage on emerging economic opportunities.

World Bank Funded Program

The basic principles of the World Bank funded programme viz. Assam Agricultural Competitiveness Project (AACP) is to ensure the participation of primary stakeholders to achieve sustainable development with the attempt to help the individuals, groups and communities to get a clear insight into the problems that strengthens their ego to face conditions as reality and try to improve them. CRD has been engaged with the attempts to mobilize the social capital, resolve the social and economic situations that lead to poverty and social unrest. The objectives of AACP is to encourage intensification and diversification of the agricultural and allied sectors by empowering rural producers, communities and forest dwellers to become more competitive and able to take advantage of emerging commercial opportunities. In fact, AACP is a second phase of Assam Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Services Project (ARIASP) with greater emphasis on effectiveness agricultural services delivery and market linkages to increase the impact of investments from both ARIASP & AACP on house hold incomes.