Rural development remains a major challenge for governments of developing countries such as Pakistan. This book discusses the political economy of agrarian poverty and underdevelopment in the region. It provides an in-depth exploration of the combined impact of state and donor interventions, as well as that of resistance attempts, to alter the status quo within Pakistan. It questions the relevance of state institutions and policies contending with the problems of farmers in Pakistan, and how donor-led policies and programmes also influence their lives.

1. Introduction 2. State and donor attempts to contend with the problems of poor farmers in Pakistan - A broad overview 3. Situating poor farmers in Pakistan's rural political economy 4. Ascertaining impacts of state institutions and policies on poor farmers 5. Donor influence on agricultural development and implications for poor farmers 6. Resisting and challenging adversities confronting poor farmers 7. Conclusion

Syed Mohammad Ali is a post-doctoral fellow at McGill University, Canada. He holds a PhD in development anthropology and has worked in the development sector in Pakistan for fifteen years. Besides academic writing, he has contributed a weekly op-ed column in Pakistani newspapers for the past ten years.