I believe that there is a gap in coverage in your V0 draft of innovative approaches to developing sustainable agriculture and food systems that enhance food security and nutrition. In particular you ignored the approach that the Chinese used as part of the Chinese economic growth formula concept. The policies used by the Chinese depended heavily on land reform and highly labor intensive household farming as described Studwell and summarized at the following website http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat2/sub7/item347.html
I have trouble believing that other countries will not use this approach given the fantastic growth in economic and food security in China.
Bill Gates in a review of the book “How Asia Works” by Joe Studwell (see https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/How-Asia-Works ) suggested that African countries may want to examine and implement the Chinese economic growth formula in order to improve their economies. Mr. Gates summarized the Chinese economic growth formula in the following manner:
- Create conditions for small farmers to thrive.
- Use the proceeds from agricultural surpluses to build a manufacturing base that is tooled from the start to produce exports.
- Nurture both these sectors (small farming and export-oriented manufacturing) with financial institutions closely controlled by the government.
Studwell (p. 329) noted that China’s average GDP growth rate was 9.9 per cent in the twenty-eight years from 1980 to 2008. In addition, Kroeber in “China’s Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know” (p 248) noted that two African countries, Rwanda and Ethiopia, have adopted a more or less explicit policy of imitating the Chinese growth model. Over the past decade, Ethiopia has been the fastest growing economy in Africa, with an average GDP growth rate of 11 percent since 2004. Rwanda is not far behind, at 8 per cent. Kroeber (p 34) also noted that between 1981 and 2011, the number of people in China living in what the World Bank describes as absolute poverty sank from 840 million to 84 million.
One reason the Chinese economic growth formula has not been implemented in other countries is the difficulty of implementing the first objective that creates conditions in which small farmers will thrive. The policies used by the Chinese to implement the first objective depended heavily on land reform and highly labor intensive household farming. These policies are described briefly in the following reference http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat2/sub7/item347.html . More detail about the policies used by the Chinese to implement highly labor intensive household farming can be found in the following references (Studwell, “How Asia Works”, Kroeber “China’s Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know ”, and Naughton “The Chinese Economy - Transitions and Growth”). These references also describe why it is difficult to implement the Chinese economic growth formula in other countries.
I believe that NGOs and university personnel need to work with host country economists to determine new agriculture and financial policies that are needed to implement the Chinese economic growth formula. NGOs and university personnel should focus on economic policies that will dramatically increase small farm crop yields initially. Based on the Chinese economic growth formula, once crop yields increase the host countries will be able to provide the necessary capital and manpower needed so that they in turn can focus on their manufacturing objectives (Objective 2 of the Chinese economic growth formula).
In particular, NGOs should focus on the availability of technology, equipment and supplies that will facilitate the land use productivity of small farmers. Small farmers will want to know how much money they can expect to earn per acre of land if they follow the procedures recommended. The question of how much money a farmer can earn per acre of land is the most basic question in farming. The current agriculture and financial procedures recommended by NGOs and university personnel have not achieved the desired results and need to be changed.
Paul Rigterink