The idea of the government paying its people for working on their farm plots may not be new.
Economists could have thought of it before.
It may not have been put in practice because the conditions to call for it may by then not have existed.
In developing countries however, economies are going through very rough times, and one wonders what can be done to support and sustain its people.
One area where this issue is critical is the area of ability to feed the population of the state.
Stable population is beneficial to the state in several ways.
Most government stronghold institutions get the people who staff them from the population.
Good Examples here include the police, the military, civil servants, the judiciary, the health and education departmental workers, the transport and communication workers.
All these workers and manpower from other infrastructure come from the population.
Population is the consumption unit of the economy.
Food provision to the people is critical.
But food is produced by tending to the soil in partnership with a healthy weather pattern.
This is why an intervention from the government is necessary by availing instruments of motivation, encouragement and inducements to produce food-even if the people themselves eat what they produce.
These motivation and inducement we are advocating hereof are those that go to peasant subsistence farmers who face starvation and often call to the government for help when times get hard.
The other agricultural production systems need not be involved in such a program e.
g the small scale and large scale producers.
These ones can remain or participate in programs that pertain to themselves.
The intervention and the pay we are advocating for can take the form of provision of basic needed items.
e.
g soap, salt, sugar, tea, basins, water containers, cooking utensils, wall clock, radio, blankets, kerosene plus all other local necessities for the farmers.
effective participation would not only create employment, but also increase production.
There is an avenue for people to use their potential by buying the needed products.
This shall also strengthen the industries that produce them.
How can the peasant farmer participate in such a program? One, he or she has to register (at a village-sub location-location-divisional levels).
Two, plot numbers and the extent at which they should stretch should be indicated.
Three, the actual area to be filled to be determined I.
e where the farmer shall actually work.
The cost of tending to such an area then be confirmed by a qualified official from the agricultural department.
A department from which all transactions regarding this entire project shall be undertaken.
After all, this is the department that should be responsible for accounting of agricultural production, storage, distribution, and ultimate consumption of farm produce.
Once all this is established, we then let God and nature unleashes a good weather pattern for the season.
When the farmer tends to his or her allocated farm plot, the actual work and production is tracked by the assigned local area agricultural officer.
The farmer is then asked to choose the reward (from the costs incurred and to act as the pay) from the array of items which the farmer deems as the items needed to satisfy the prevailing needs.
Such a program (as mentioned above-that it would have several benefits), would enlighten the peasant farmers on the value of land and the need to use it to maximum to their benefit, and, on a broader perspective, to the state-which eventually is asked to intervene when hardship hits.
Both short and long-term impact of such a program is evident.
This would go a long way in people helping themselves and hitherto helping the state.
Economists could have thought of it before.
It may not have been put in practice because the conditions to call for it may by then not have existed.
In developing countries however, economies are going through very rough times, and one wonders what can be done to support and sustain its people.
One area where this issue is critical is the area of ability to feed the population of the state.
Stable population is beneficial to the state in several ways.
Most government stronghold institutions get the people who staff them from the population.
Good Examples here include the police, the military, civil servants, the judiciary, the health and education departmental workers, the transport and communication workers.
All these workers and manpower from other infrastructure come from the population.
Population is the consumption unit of the economy.
Food provision to the people is critical.
But food is produced by tending to the soil in partnership with a healthy weather pattern.
This is why an intervention from the government is necessary by availing instruments of motivation, encouragement and inducements to produce food-even if the people themselves eat what they produce.
These motivation and inducement we are advocating hereof are those that go to peasant subsistence farmers who face starvation and often call to the government for help when times get hard.
The other agricultural production systems need not be involved in such a program e.
g the small scale and large scale producers.
These ones can remain or participate in programs that pertain to themselves.
The intervention and the pay we are advocating for can take the form of provision of basic needed items.
e.
g soap, salt, sugar, tea, basins, water containers, cooking utensils, wall clock, radio, blankets, kerosene plus all other local necessities for the farmers.
effective participation would not only create employment, but also increase production.
There is an avenue for people to use their potential by buying the needed products.
This shall also strengthen the industries that produce them.
How can the peasant farmer participate in such a program? One, he or she has to register (at a village-sub location-location-divisional levels).
Two, plot numbers and the extent at which they should stretch should be indicated.
Three, the actual area to be filled to be determined I.
e where the farmer shall actually work.
The cost of tending to such an area then be confirmed by a qualified official from the agricultural department.
A department from which all transactions regarding this entire project shall be undertaken.
After all, this is the department that should be responsible for accounting of agricultural production, storage, distribution, and ultimate consumption of farm produce.
Once all this is established, we then let God and nature unleashes a good weather pattern for the season.
When the farmer tends to his or her allocated farm plot, the actual work and production is tracked by the assigned local area agricultural officer.
The farmer is then asked to choose the reward (from the costs incurred and to act as the pay) from the array of items which the farmer deems as the items needed to satisfy the prevailing needs.
Such a program (as mentioned above-that it would have several benefits), would enlighten the peasant farmers on the value of land and the need to use it to maximum to their benefit, and, on a broader perspective, to the state-which eventually is asked to intervene when hardship hits.
Both short and long-term impact of such a program is evident.
This would go a long way in people helping themselves and hitherto helping the state.