The Role of Government in Bottom of the Pyramid Thinking
Africa is a place with extremities. There is abundance of arable land and sufficient amount of water sources for agriculture. On the other hand, the bulk of the population live in abject poverty hence hunger is a permanent resident in their household. All the grants and loans availed to the continents governments have not made any significant impact on the hunger situation. The banks on the continent require security for their loans, yet the rural people have no property other than their land which is communally owned.
I have the opinion that the continents governments can help solve this dilemma in the following way.
Governments in Africa have the agricultural extension staff charged with providing
technical guidance to farmers. Given the size of land holding by a farmer, the type of agricultural activity that can be carried out on this holding and profitably so, can be determined. The farmers knowledge of the agricultural practices that can be economically carried out on the holding is then assessed and the extension officers provide back-up technical knowledge to help the farmer succeed.
The next issue is for the government to
provide security to commercial banks for loans to be given to farmers for the undertaking. As for marketing the farm produce, government should
set up marketing boards, and also government can
help farmers to form cooperative entities to improve their bargaining power.
It is only then that this lovely continent will get rid of hunger and poverty which have become synonymous with the continent.
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