Issues Involving Smallholder Agriculture

“A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain and drinking largely sobers us again”.

Alexander Pope, 1711

This page forms the table of contents to the key issues of the web site. It looks at the different issues that may need some more in-depth consideration to make certain development projects have the maximum positive impact on the smallholder beneficiaries and the Millennium Development Goals can be met. It looks at those issues that may have been overlooked as well as those that may be institutionalized into the development process well beyond their effectiveness in providing sustainable assistance to the smallholder beneficiaries.

Economic Environment

• Financially Suppressed Economy – Impact on Development
  • Consumer Prices Comparison: USA vs. Host Country – 30% discount on prices, but 85% reduction in wages
• Financially Stalled Governments – What can they be asked to do?
  • Variety Improvement – Deferred to IARCs
  • Informal Income: Seed & Fertilizer Voucher Program

Development Process

• Project Development Process – Who Represents the Smallholder
  • Development Hierarchy – Four Layers of Isolation
  • Monitoring & Evaluation:  The Voice of the Beneficiaries
  • MEL – Impressive Numbers but for What Purpose: Deceiving the Tax Paying Public??
  • ‘Appeasement Reporting’ in Development Projects: Satisfying Donors at the Expense of Beneficiaries (A Next Billion Article)
  • Operational Feasibility Of Innovations: An Administrative Void in Development (AID & International Development Forum)
• Basic Premise – Was Something Overlooked?
  • Delayed Adopters – Limited Knowledge or Limited Means
  • Integration:  Differentiating Research/Extension Officials from Development Officials  
• Promoting The Green Revolution in Asia As Solely Technology Driven: A Major Disservice to Africa*

Assisting Smallholders

• Assisting Smallholders – An Innovative Approach
  • Donor Contributions – Enhancing Infrastructure Support
  • Government Contributions: A Word of Caution
• Smallholder Communities – A Symbiotic Association
  • First Value Added – Clean Bags of Grain
  • Crop Genetic Pump – A Possible Task for NGOs (ECHO Asia Note Article)
  • Informal credit – Usury or Administrative Costs
  • Effective Project – Enhanced Accessed to Mechanization Via Reconditioned Used Tractors
  • Indirect Enhancement – Village Grain Mills
  • Indirect Enhancement – Domestic Water Supply
• Drudgery Relief: The Key to Diminishing Food Security Risk (Brink: Edge of Risk Article)
•  Enhancing Value Chains – Start at Farm Level
• Informal Information & Distribution System – How effective? How to utilize?

Concerns

• Rethinking a Basic Assumption in Ag Development: Risk Aversion or Hunger & Exhaustion (ECHO Development Note Article)
• Caloric Energy Balance (Original Webpage)
  • Ethiopian Diet Analysis – Implications for Development
  • Poster Presentation
• Hard Choices: Compromises in Quality Nutrition
  • Affordability of Improved Nutrition While Optimizing Economic Opportunities
• Producer Organizations and Cooperatives – Do They Offer A Competitive Advantage?
  • Envisioned Competitive Advantage for Cooperatives
    • Cheetah Paprika Out-Grower Program – Zambia
  • Taxpayers Expectations
  • Loss of Competitive Advantage: 14 Points to Consider
  • Financial Transparency
    • Madibira in Tanzania: Economic Impact – Dark Clouds Forming
  • Cooperatives Regulatory Contribution
  • Reconciliation with Private Service Providers, – The Default Providers
  • Smallholder Empowerment
  • Perpetuating Cooperatives: Deceptive/Dishonest? Reporting
    • Information Requested – Basic Business Parameters
    • USAID Office of Inspector General Inquiry
    • Inspector General’s Reply
    • Message to Representative Mike Coffman
    • Vulnerability to Class Action Litigation: A Whistle blower’s Brief
• Financial Management Strategy – Retain Assets In-Kind
• Value Chain for High Valued Crops – High Risk? High Profit?
• Private Service Providers – Fragmented Family Oriented Business Environment
  • Lusaka Tomato Vender – Market Volume 50 kg
  • Uganda Banana Trader – Double Marathon Man
• Private Service Providers – Preferred by Smallholder (ECHO Development Notes Article)
• Sustainability Of Smallholders: Global Trade-Offs
• Organic Nutrients: Some Simple Computations Please

* Indicates new or substantially revised pages