AN AGRICULTURALIST’S IDEAS FOR GENUINE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA

ROLF SHENTON – 10th February 2015.

This list has been written by Rolf Shenton, a well-respected agriculturalist born and bred in Zambia.

Asked him for some ideas on a paper I was writing on SME’s and Africa. I asked for his suggestions where SME’s could focus their attention to promote genuine economic development (note neither of us used the term Economic Growth) and these are his priorities.

The majority apply as much to Sierra Leone as any other country in Africa.

The opportunities for local cooperation using micro=finance like KIVA

I am thinking for projects like:

· Livestock handling facilities

· Communal Seed bank

· Input supply coop

· Shared equipment- tools and machinery can often be shared among several farms

· Marketing facilities (several farms clubbing together to build a roadside or renting a town outlet for produce sales),

· Common storage (much more efficient for several farmers to build a good shed to share- storing crops can often help realise better prices later in season) ,

· Shared transport if they allow that (few of us can afford our own lorry but several could share if use is strictly regulated)

· Dams, boreholes and mainlines for irrigation (economy of scale really works here)

· Local diesel, solar or hydro power station

· Sharing cost of Zescoelectricityconnection,

· Processing facilities to value add like butchery, dryer, fruit processor, oil mill, and milking shed

As we focus on the transition towards a more viable economy where food, fibre and energy come from the soil, other new businesses opportunities for SMEs will include>

Food: Processing-juicing, tinning, drying, jams,

Packaging- innovative new methods to package using sustainable/renewable materials

Preserving- blanching, blast-freezing, drying, etc. to

Essential oils: extracting oils and flavours from plants is growing business. Also spices and tenderisers like pawpaw milk are becoming more popular.

Biofuels: Converting biomass and starches to ethanol- we pushing for this to be adapted for small-scale models so communities can have more energy independence locally. We imagine people running, pumps, motorbikes, hammer mills, fridges etc. on locally produced ethanol

2) Biodiesel: is quite easy to make at a small or medium scale and has the advantages above

Bio fibres: there is huge scope to produce fibres for building and manufacturing industry from a whole spectrum of forest and farm products that would provide SME s with opportunities.

Medicines/: I imagine there are hundreds of forest and farm products that will become useful in the medicine industry: there is increasing demand for natural products like Artinam for malaria, Aloe Vera etc.

Hope this will still be useful though I'm sure I missed your deadline

Cheers

Rolf