FAO Quotables

"But being right, even morally right, isn't everything. It is also important to be competent, to be consistent, and to be knowledgeable. It's important for your soldiers and diplomats to speak the language of the people you want to influence. It's important to understand the ethnic and tribal divisions of the place you hope to assist."
-Anne Applebaum

Showing posts with label farming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label farming. Show all posts

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Weekly Reading: A Trek Across Madagascar, to Hijab or not to Hijab, Naval Strategy?, Aviation Black Lists in Africa and a FAO Reading List

The land grabs in Africa you don’t hear about
Fascinating article...you likely won't guess the largest constituency buying up land in Africa--you will have to click to find out.  While you are clicking, check out two great books below.
 

L'aviation africaine s'organise pour sortir de la liste noire
I've been on quite a few flights out here where I've spent most of the time praying...that the plane wouldn't fall apart.

Madness in Madagascar: Brit defies crocs and cops in bid to be first to cross island
Brit Ash Dyke is attempting to become the first person to traverse the world's 4th largest island on foot.
ashdykes.com/madagascar/
https://twitter.com/Ash_Dykes
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ash-Dykes/736642026399924

As Muslim women, we actually ask you not to wear the ‘hijab’ in the name of interfaith solidarity
These are the types of articles every American should read.  Islam, the Koran and Islamism are too often simplified and then misunderstood by our society at large.  On its face, the idea of wearing the 'hijab' in solidarity seems to be a praiseworthy idea but as the author demonstrates running through the Koran, the 'hijab' is used in many muslim cultures to denigrate and control women.  And on the other side of the argument, in some cultures wearing the 'hijab' is nearly devoid of any religious connotation.

FROM READERS: MU faculty member shares stories of racism
A beautifully written piece that should be mandatory reading for everyone--especially anyone with a knee-jerk reaction in either direction.

THE BRUTAL REALITIES OF NAVAL STRATEGY
Great book review by BJ Armstrong that completely sold me on the need for this book to be on every naval officer's bookshelf...filled with highlights.


WAR ON THE ROCKS 2015 HOLIDAY READING LIST
This is the reading list you wish you were smart enough to tackle.  That said, I did find a few books (that I may or may not understand) to add to my wish list (below)


Past Weekly Reads
What I Read Last Week: Pro-life means pro-gun control, a missile's aftermath, Yakuza photos, Contempt in Marriage and Politics in Madagascar

Weekly Reading List: Mosquito nets and fishermen, Papa's Letters, A Century of Immigration and Italy in Africa












Tuesday, October 1, 2013

On the fallacies of the $2 a day argument: 90% of Madagascar lives on $2 day

On the fallacies of the $2 a day argument: 90% of Madagascar lives on $2 day

There' a dearth of well-written academic articles on Madagascar so I am always eager to pass on any that I find.  This post includes two such articles.  The first one talks about the source of Madagascar's economic woes and references the second article--actually a paper--about the influence of census efforts (or lack of efforts) in Madagascar on the political and economic landscape.  The second one is written in French (and posted below)--once I write out the translation I will post it here.

   Anyway, the title of the article "90% of Madagascar Lives on Less Than Two Dollars a Day" is a little misleading because that's not really the point of the article.  The Global Voices Online Website publishes has a great bullpen of independent writers and they also have people who translate articles into other languages.  In this case, the title of the original French article was called "The Causes of Economic Decline in Madagascar."

    This whole idea of measuring and evaluating a country's economy by how many dollars a day its people live on is deeply flawed--namely when it comes to evaluating states whose populations are largely subsistence farmers.  A subsistence farmers $2 a day is much better off (in reality) than a country with a large urban population.

     But that point is just an aside--a pet peeve of mine.  The article itself is great look at some possible causes for Madagascar economic lethargy and struggles--although I wish it delved deeper into the deleterious effects of the revolutionary socialist policies under Ratsiraka.  The best part about the article, though, was that I found a Madagascar research facebook group through reading the article!  This has turned out to be a cool academic resource and you should check it out!  The article also has some links to some other useful sources.

LINKS:
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/09/19/90-of-madagascar-lives-less-than-two-dollars-a-day-why/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/158712627482575/


Thursday, April 19, 2012

Global Land Grab Spreadsheet

This blew my mind when I saw it.  Definitely lends validity to the argument about countries that let their masses starve while grain grows on their land.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Bill Gates dropping billions on farming in Africa, now how 'bout a little love for the fishermen?!

The Gates Foundation's dedication and generousity in Africa is to be applauded.  However, I would offer that in their quest to fight poverty and starvation they miss a large mark in the area of fishing.  Upwards of $1 billion every year are lost due to illegal fishing.  A large percentage of Africa depends on the protein from fish to live.

The development of a modern fishing industry around the ISLAND of Africa would go a long way towards not only feeding Africa but towards moving more people out of poverty. 

To do this though, we need to know:

What would it take to develop a modernized fishing industry?
What would a modern fishing industry look like in Africa?
How would it vary by region/country? 
What specific infrastructure is necessary in each country to realize the profits/benefits from a modern fishing industry?  This includes the inland infrastructure necessary to transport the fish to the consumer.
What regulatory bodies need to be in place to better regulate/govern the industry?
Are there successful development models elsewhere that we could follow?
Should the development of fish farms be tied in?
What needs to be done to stop the illegal fishing? 
How do we ensure the development of the industry is done in a sustainable manner?
What US/International companies/states/cities could partner/sponsor with different african ones to assist in the development? 

I don't mean to criticize the Gates Foundation.  I just hope they will see the unrealized potential lying beneath the sea, the BILLIONS that surround the continent.  And I hope they will hire me to head up that effort, haha!
















Links:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hDmEAu9pyAGlwIUIGk_s1gP-LVaQ?docId=0e4e9665645e4dba9bbfa8daa6e6a8dc