Cultural thoughts of America and Ghana (Part 4) – Impact on development
Man – I need to get on another topic soon, but I still would
like to share a few more thought on this subject. This has turned
more into a development and economic post, but I'll go with it.
As previously mentioned these thoughts are my own and do not represent the opinion of the Peace Corps or the United States government. They are only my simple and incomplete understanding. However, I hope they bring at least some small insight between the two countries.
Please see previous posts for background.
Women tend to work hard and invest in the children and the family. Men also work had and invest in children and families but they tend to have other things of higher priority. (One cannot make blanket statement, but the statement may also be true in America and around the world.) Everyone from professional development to individual locals working their own small development projects share the belief that women are the key to economic growth.
Major projects require community involvement and commitment. The decision must be made by group consensus, the natural and normal way it is handled in Ghana. Both men and women need to be involved but when you have a community meeting the women will likely not speak up in respect to the men. A good solution is to raise the ideas and discuss options for local projects in an initial meeting. Don't rank or prioritize, make no decisions, and take no action in the initial or even the first few meetings. Let the men and women go home and let the women help the men understand the best course of action for the community so the man can stand up and publicly support or even propose the best decision for children, families, and the community in a future meeting.
(This approach would work nicely with the Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) used by the Peace Corps. In this approach different groups are broken apart so women and men and children, or however the groups fall, meet separately – identify and rank projects – and then come together as a group to rank and decide. I think delaying the PACA analysis until the men and women have had time to discuss it at home would be a good addition to the methodology.)
Many successful development projects focus on women and women groups. However, women may need particular help in literacy and financial literacy to make effective business decisions They should be encouraged to learn such skills and to keep control of the funds generated rather than put their trust in some external person.
The first level of development is for individuals to become more productive. Local techniques and practices should not be discounted or abandoned but improved techniques should be taught and incorporated to improve results. Demonstration projects that have the support of local people can be used to evaluate new techniques, but “white man” projects that have no local involvement at the start are likely to be ignored if not sabotaged. Similarly, community projects, such as community gardens, where people think that they don't have to work to get the benefit seem likely to fail. Unless the group can enforce required member support then a personal project is best for small projects.
Some projects are simply too large for the individual. Ghana and Africa still have the practice of discussion and reaching a consensus at the local level. (Some U.S. communities, particularly in the northeastern states with town hall meetings also maintain this culture.) Ghana and the local communities have long term practical experience creating and maintaining this sort of decision process going back generations. External organizations are less effective if they remove local control and yet try to create local support.
The local community should decide what project is important, what project will be supported (using the approach above), and how is should be executed. The community (or the group) should all agree and all support the project. If the support is not there, no matter how much money an external entity wants to shower down, the project will not fully succeed in the long term and may well fail outright.
My push to increase local capital is to reduce the need for external funds and the tendency for external control. Successful people from the community should be the first to invest back in their home community if locally available capital is not enough. Many successful people are currently doing this, giving back to the community.
External funds may be needed for some initial projects. However, the project should not be externally driven. The bulk of the work and decisions on how to progress should be in the hands of the local people. Unless there is some technical expertise/equipment required – such as borehole drilling – the control and labor should remain in local hands. After a few successful externally funded projects the community should be encouraged to “cut the cord” and proceed on their own. (Much like the eaglets in the previous post on Mother's day.)
If they project is sponsored by an external source – the community should be financially accountable for any funds dispersed. Funds should be released as needed and effectively and properly used. Receipts should be available and physical results shown, audited, before additional funds are released. (Even in remote parts of Ghana this could be done remotely via the internet with two local contact people (one man and one woman) responsible for the reporting. This not only reduces the cost of the project and helps bring the project to a successful completion, but also helps change the culture to no longer accept the "chopping" of community funds.
The community should arrange and divide the work, work schedules, and make sure that everyone contributes – either with their labor or by supplying food or drink to the workers. This is the method being used to build a community clinic close to my site and is similar.
Africa has enough resources, including human and capital resources, to be prosperous. However, I do not think it will not gain prosperity by exporting raw materials and importing finished goods. But, again, rather than talk about macroeconomics, my post is on the local level.
For example, in the local market I buy peanut oil and shea butter for cooking. Anytime I buy one of these products a local person gets most if not all of the money because she (generally) produced the product. (Peanut oil and shea butter are local.) I also buy unfiltered palm nut oil. The oil is pressed in the south so it is not so good for the economy as peanut oil, but the unfiltered oil has some heath benefits and the oil trade in raw palm nut oil may be more profitable to the individuals involved. Whenever I "buy local" the amount of money in the local economy increases with these purchases and the economic health of people improves. (The same is of course true across America and in communities around the world.)
However, many people buy frytol, a refined palm nut oil. Frytol is produced in Ghana although it does use imported material in the process. When someone buys frytol, most of the money stays in Ghana – but most leaves my community and Upper West Region. This purchase drains money away from the local economy – reducing the economic health of local people. (I don't buy frytol.) (Again, those in America should consider where the shop and what they buy.)
The purchase of an imported oil (not even an option here) would ultimately send capital out of the country and likely off the continent reducing the economic health of Ghana and Africa.
This small example is repeated over and over again across the agricultural sector. For example, Ghana exports a lot of raw cocoa. I think Ghana should develop its own nutritional chocolate bar. Ghanaians don't care for the sweet taste of imported chocolate and many cannot afford it anyway. However, many Ghanaians would benefit from the nutritional value of chocolate, particularly young children. A more traditional recipe (as produced in the days of the “Gold Coast”) that uses less sugar, no milk, and more spices along with peanuts, moringa, and other homegrown products would be a nutritionally dense food (easily transported) tailored to the Ghanaian palate that could reduce malnutrition, particularly in the young, leading to stronger (mentally and physically) students and citizens. (Improving the economy in the short term and the long term.)
Note: I am talking about exporting raw materials and importing finished goods that could be produced locally. Competitive advantage in production, international trade, and foreign subsidized goods is beyond the scope of this post.
We are still in mango season so my drying of the fruit continues. I'm learning about solar drying and needing to refine my technique as the relatively humidity has increased and we of occasion rain and cloudy skies as we move to the end of the dry season. As the opportunity arises I'm inviting people to see and taste what I am doing. But most of the active marketing of the technique will come after mango season is over.
My worm bed survived the dry season. I don't have as many red worms as I'd like, but the population is increasing. I also had more ants that I would have liked. I will be moving my worms from the current location (that will flood when we get the big rains) to a new location where I will have my rabbits.
I have submitted a proposal for rabbits to the Peace Corps seed grant program. I've not heard back, and will start buy material to build my cages when I get the OK.
The zai trenches are working fine. I need to keep the soil loose in the trench and remove any plants growing for two reasons. First, this helps the rain penetrate fast. Second, the loose soil breaks the capillary action that will draw the moisture from the deep subsoil to the surface as the surface evaporates. This involves periodically using a hoe or cultivator (don't have one yet).
We have had a few small rains in the past month. Not enough even in the flood plain the start planting yet. However, I think have enough moisture in my trenches to start planting on the laterite soil on my hill side plot. We had a heavy rain last night although the long term forecast indicates a long dry period before the dry season finishes.
The people may think that the white man is crazy to start planting but I think I'll try - as this is one of the benefits of the zai methodology. Because I might be a month ahead of everyone else in the area I'll need to figure some sort of fence or row cover to protect my young plants from the goats, sheep, donkeys, and cattle that are roaming around and will not be tied up until most of the fields are sprouting seeds.
I'm doing a fine health wise. No change to report.
All the best and love always,
John
As previously mentioned these thoughts are my own and do not represent the opinion of the Peace Corps or the United States government. They are only my simple and incomplete understanding. However, I hope they bring at least some small insight between the two countries.
Please see previous posts for background.
Women involvement is key
Women tend to work hard and invest in the children and the family. Men also work had and invest in children and families but they tend to have other things of higher priority. (One cannot make blanket statement, but the statement may also be true in America and around the world.) Everyone from professional development to individual locals working their own small development projects share the belief that women are the key to economic growth.
Major projects require community involvement and commitment. The decision must be made by group consensus, the natural and normal way it is handled in Ghana. Both men and women need to be involved but when you have a community meeting the women will likely not speak up in respect to the men. A good solution is to raise the ideas and discuss options for local projects in an initial meeting. Don't rank or prioritize, make no decisions, and take no action in the initial or even the first few meetings. Let the men and women go home and let the women help the men understand the best course of action for the community so the man can stand up and publicly support or even propose the best decision for children, families, and the community in a future meeting.
(This approach would work nicely with the Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) used by the Peace Corps. In this approach different groups are broken apart so women and men and children, or however the groups fall, meet separately – identify and rank projects – and then come together as a group to rank and decide. I think delaying the PACA analysis until the men and women have had time to discuss it at home would be a good addition to the methodology.)
Many successful development projects focus on women and women groups. However, women may need particular help in literacy and financial literacy to make effective business decisions They should be encouraged to learn such skills and to keep control of the funds generated rather than put their trust in some external person.
Personal projects, personal decisions, personal work
The first level of development is for individuals to become more productive. Local techniques and practices should not be discounted or abandoned but improved techniques should be taught and incorporated to improve results. Demonstration projects that have the support of local people can be used to evaluate new techniques, but “white man” projects that have no local involvement at the start are likely to be ignored if not sabotaged. Similarly, community projects, such as community gardens, where people think that they don't have to work to get the benefit seem likely to fail. Unless the group can enforce required member support then a personal project is best for small projects.
Local projects, local decisions, local work
Some projects are simply too large for the individual. Ghana and Africa still have the practice of discussion and reaching a consensus at the local level. (Some U.S. communities, particularly in the northeastern states with town hall meetings also maintain this culture.) Ghana and the local communities have long term practical experience creating and maintaining this sort of decision process going back generations. External organizations are less effective if they remove local control and yet try to create local support.
The local community should decide what project is important, what project will be supported (using the approach above), and how is should be executed. The community (or the group) should all agree and all support the project. If the support is not there, no matter how much money an external entity wants to shower down, the project will not fully succeed in the long term and may well fail outright.
My push to increase local capital is to reduce the need for external funds and the tendency for external control. Successful people from the community should be the first to invest back in their home community if locally available capital is not enough. Many successful people are currently doing this, giving back to the community.
External funds may be needed for some initial projects. However, the project should not be externally driven. The bulk of the work and decisions on how to progress should be in the hands of the local people. Unless there is some technical expertise/equipment required – such as borehole drilling – the control and labor should remain in local hands. After a few successful externally funded projects the community should be encouraged to “cut the cord” and proceed on their own. (Much like the eaglets in the previous post on Mother's day.)
If they project is sponsored by an external source – the community should be financially accountable for any funds dispersed. Funds should be released as needed and effectively and properly used. Receipts should be available and physical results shown, audited, before additional funds are released. (Even in remote parts of Ghana this could be done remotely via the internet with two local contact people (one man and one woman) responsible for the reporting. This not only reduces the cost of the project and helps bring the project to a successful completion, but also helps change the culture to no longer accept the "chopping" of community funds.
The community should arrange and divide the work, work schedules, and make sure that everyone contributes – either with their labor or by supplying food or drink to the workers. This is the method being used to build a community clinic close to my site and is similar.
Improve exports and reduce imports
Africa has enough resources, including human and capital resources, to be prosperous. However, I do not think it will not gain prosperity by exporting raw materials and importing finished goods. But, again, rather than talk about macroeconomics, my post is on the local level.
For example, in the local market I buy peanut oil and shea butter for cooking. Anytime I buy one of these products a local person gets most if not all of the money because she (generally) produced the product. (Peanut oil and shea butter are local.) I also buy unfiltered palm nut oil. The oil is pressed in the south so it is not so good for the economy as peanut oil, but the unfiltered oil has some heath benefits and the oil trade in raw palm nut oil may be more profitable to the individuals involved. Whenever I "buy local" the amount of money in the local economy increases with these purchases and the economic health of people improves. (The same is of course true across America and in communities around the world.)
However, many people buy frytol, a refined palm nut oil. Frytol is produced in Ghana although it does use imported material in the process. When someone buys frytol, most of the money stays in Ghana – but most leaves my community and Upper West Region. This purchase drains money away from the local economy – reducing the economic health of local people. (I don't buy frytol.) (Again, those in America should consider where the shop and what they buy.)
The purchase of an imported oil (not even an option here) would ultimately send capital out of the country and likely off the continent reducing the economic health of Ghana and Africa.
This small example is repeated over and over again across the agricultural sector. For example, Ghana exports a lot of raw cocoa. I think Ghana should develop its own nutritional chocolate bar. Ghanaians don't care for the sweet taste of imported chocolate and many cannot afford it anyway. However, many Ghanaians would benefit from the nutritional value of chocolate, particularly young children. A more traditional recipe (as produced in the days of the “Gold Coast”) that uses less sugar, no milk, and more spices along with peanuts, moringa, and other homegrown products would be a nutritionally dense food (easily transported) tailored to the Ghanaian palate that could reduce malnutrition, particularly in the young, leading to stronger (mentally and physically) students and citizens. (Improving the economy in the short term and the long term.)
Note: I am talking about exporting raw materials and importing finished goods that could be produced locally. Competitive advantage in production, international trade, and foreign subsidized goods is beyond the scope of this post.
Update on my secondary projects.
We are still in mango season so my drying of the fruit continues. I'm learning about solar drying and needing to refine my technique as the relatively humidity has increased and we of occasion rain and cloudy skies as we move to the end of the dry season. As the opportunity arises I'm inviting people to see and taste what I am doing. But most of the active marketing of the technique will come after mango season is over.
My worm bed survived the dry season. I don't have as many red worms as I'd like, but the population is increasing. I also had more ants that I would have liked. I will be moving my worms from the current location (that will flood when we get the big rains) to a new location where I will have my rabbits.
I have submitted a proposal for rabbits to the Peace Corps seed grant program. I've not heard back, and will start buy material to build my cages when I get the OK.
The zai trenches are working fine. I need to keep the soil loose in the trench and remove any plants growing for two reasons. First, this helps the rain penetrate fast. Second, the loose soil breaks the capillary action that will draw the moisture from the deep subsoil to the surface as the surface evaporates. This involves periodically using a hoe or cultivator (don't have one yet).
We have had a few small rains in the past month. Not enough even in the flood plain the start planting yet. However, I think have enough moisture in my trenches to start planting on the laterite soil on my hill side plot. We had a heavy rain last night although the long term forecast indicates a long dry period before the dry season finishes.
The people may think that the white man is crazy to start planting but I think I'll try - as this is one of the benefits of the zai methodology. Because I might be a month ahead of everyone else in the area I'll need to figure some sort of fence or row cover to protect my young plants from the goats, sheep, donkeys, and cattle that are roaming around and will not be tied up until most of the fields are sprouting seeds.
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| Zia trenches before maintenance. |
 |
| This is the traditional hoe used for most cultivation. Here I'm going through loosing the soil |
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| Close up of the soil in the trench. The soil is moist close to the surface and more moist farther down. |
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| Close up of the soil close to the zai trenches. There is a more compact dry top layer and less moisture below. |
Health
I'm doing a fine health wise. No change to report.
All the best and love always,
John
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