ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the recent fundamental rethinking of the technological and institutional basis of agricultural development that is forcing the issue of NGO-state linkages on to the agenda. It discusses how far NGOs will be able, and willing, to respond to the challenges presented to them by this restructuring of agricultural development. The basis to traditional strategies of ATD in which NARS were a central actor was to increase the use of high-yielding varieties, intensify agrochemical-input use and introduce mechanization into an increasing array of farm operations. NGOs are at present still too often outside policy debates for their visions to influence national programmes. The linkage mechanisms have simultaneously been used by NGOs to express criticism of what government is doing within the ATS, and of policies that the NGOs perceive to be prejudicial to the rural poor.
