The "Joseph Of the Bible": Can this work?

Apologisies for this triatise is not providing the information requested in Consultation Paper 8.......... still awaiting details to come in.

In meantime, please find below another alternative that can serve a dual purpose: helping the entire village and feeding pupils (school meal).

Background: Like many poor countries, 99% of the Rwandan population are in agriculture sector, and this is of subsistence nature.

This means all that is produced is consummed by the farmer's household, with no or little to sell. Consequently, if the farmer produces maize, he/she will not be able to buy cassava or any thing else due to the lack of cash. Furthermore, the farmer's stock will not last until the next harvest.

So, the lack of cash to buy other food products and the inability to keep any food stock until the next harvest lead to quantitative and qualitative malnutrition.

According to the World Food Program, the highlighted region is the most hungered in East and Central Africa.

Indeed 42.6% of Rwandan children are stunted (2000) , micronutruents malnutrition vary with iron deficiency anaemia crippling 69% of all under 5 years old kids (2000) whereas 52% of all Rwandans live below poverty line-below $1 a day- (1995-2003).

Sources: Available here.

The link between malnutrion and cognitive abilities, such as learning, is very well established, and wonder whether this might explain why only 37% of Rwandan children complete a full Primary Education. Furthermore, since, according to UNESCO, only 6-8% % of pupils get into secondary education (fierce competition) and that the poor can expectidly be seen as the all time losers (likely to drop out, etc...), providing school meals to children and food security to their families must surely alleviate this catastrophy!

This is why I believe a local food stock, a bit like that of the Joseph Of the Bible, in each region could meet the foresaid goals. How could this work?

The "Joseph Of the Bible"-like project:

1. Make a database containing the unitary price (price par Kg) for foodstuffs such as Maize, rice, beans, cassava etc... each day from one harvest to the next.

Advantage: This will inform us on the price fluctuation between 2 harvests. For example, it could be that 1kg of beans costs FRW 250 at harvest but that it costs FRW 350 in mid-season.

1 US $ = 541.680 FRW (change on July the 16th 2006 at 18:03 London Time)

NB: the foodstuffs chosen are easy ones to keep, the rest (such as fruits and vegetables or indeed meet) will be considered later

2. At harvest, buy foodsuffs from farmers at a better (mid-season) price.

The good price and the lasting (secure) food stock will encourage farmers to sell their harvest to the project. How?

Whereas any citizen can sell their foodstuffs to the project, the stock established will be resold ONLY to the most needy and just a few Kgs each day. In this way the food stock will last until the next harvest.

If at harvest 1 Kg of beans costed FRW 250 and FRW 350 at mid-harvest, it would be better for the farmer to bring his harvest to the project rather than keeping it him/herself. In so doing, they wouldl then have cash not only to buy the food at a cheaper price (FRW 250/Kg) but also other goods they do not produce such as meet, milk etc...

The difference between the two prices will be provided as aid!

3. What about TAX?

It is difficult to predict whether this operations could be given a tax-free advantage, all will depends on how the state is willing to help its most poor citizens.

If tax is requested, this will be absorbed by the "poor farmer"- not an ideal situation. But even if money was available, this should remain so in order to encourage the state to think twice. So, if the price at harvest was FRW 250/Kg, we would resell food at this price plus the amount of tax requested by the state.

4. Where would the project store such large amount of food? Who (staffs) would buy and resell food? Where would the measuring instruments come from?

a. Very tough questions: I would suggest we use church buildings. However, it may be better to discuss this idea with all the churches in the area and see which one is willing to offer help and how much help.

b. People initially buying food from farmers and selling it to later to the most needy farmers (in between seasons) could be volonteers (deacons? or alikes?)

c. Initially, the weight measuring instruments could be the ones used in local shops (number 26 plate, and other well known plastic balls). This could remain so until money to buy scales is available.

4. How would you select the most needy people from the rest of the population?

Since the buying price will be very good (mid-season price)- i.e FRW 350/Kg-, any citizen can- depending of course on the project's purchasing power- sell their crops whereas only the most poor are entitled to buy back foodstuffs (at a cheaper price- harvest price- i.e. FRW 250). It is vital therefore to have a clear selection policy.

This policy must unequivocally avoid any ethnic suspicion about who is and isn't allowed to buy food from the project: How to do that? Don't know yet.

So long as the policy is open, transparent, logical and totally inclusive such problems shouldn't arise.

5. How would you collect the price database mentioned in point1?

To help volunteers doing this job, a calender or calenders could be distributed to shop owners in the pilote region and request them to fill in their daily prices for the foodstuffs of interest (they must not be told why). A small "thank you" gift could be given to encourage them to do it accurately and consistently.

6. Could such project not affect local shops?

Hopefully not, and in any case may be the collective interest could come before that of local shop owners? Debatable.

Conclusion:

Although the details on how this project could help the feeding program are still being worked out, it is clear this project will , by reaching out to the wider community, address some of the concerns raised previously.

Comments and advice most welcome.

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