A grant agreement for a rural project with Australia

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Affairs Division and the Australian Center for Agriculture Research (ACIAR) have signed a $ 12 million Australian dollar deal to transform rural areas.

According to a press release, the program will cover Pakistan, Bangladesh, China and Indonesia.

Ahmed Hanif Orakzai, Acting Secretary of the Economic Affairs Division and Professor Andrew Campbell, ACIAR's chief executive officer, signed a sub-agreement on behalf of their own government.

The aforementioned agreement is about 'understanding the dynamics of successful and inclusive rural transformation and sharing of policy suggestions and experiences'.

According to the press release, the duration of the program is 3 years, which will be completed in 2022 and aims to "understand the dynamics, effects and nature of rural change in Bangladesh, China, Indonesia and Pakistan".

It should be noted that the transformation of the countryside is the process by which the agricultural system over time transforms from providing food to commercial and market-oriented farming.

Many countries in the world have reached different stages of rural change with different pace and consequences of rural change.

It should be noted that in China, a large proportion of the population (43 percent) lives in Indonesia, 46 percent, far more than 61 percent in Pakistan and 65 percent in Bangladesh.

However, increasing urbanization (urban area expansion) is the cause of pressure on land, labour, and other resources for greater productivity.

The above-mentioned project will examine China's model of rural change and understand the lessons of its success for the countries facing these challenges and learn from it.