ABSTRACT
Pakistan's agricultural sector occupies an important place in its economy and with nearly three-quarters of its population directly or indirectly involved in agriculture, the welfare of its people hangs in the balance. Globally, the provision of agricultural information and services by extension has long been recognized as a fundamental institutional input for accelerating the growth of a prosperous agriculture. The overwhelming majority of farmers fall into the group of non-contact farmers; that is, they have no formal contact with either public or private agricultural extension agency. Outside of a rather narrow range of activities, the findings offer a bleak outlook on the operation of both public and private agencies within Pakistan. NGO Forum members believes that civil society organizations have an equal, and as important, role as the government and private sector in national development; and that civil society, along with government and private sector, should work towards a tripartite approach to national policy making.
