Download LEADERSHIP AND ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR AFRICA

LEADERSHIP AND ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR AFRICA: Suggesting Approaches to Free
State Agriculture to Address the Challenges of Commercial Farmers
Key note address at the Free State Agriculture Congress August 6, 2014, at Emoya
Estate, Bloemfontein South Africa By Elly Twineyo Kamugisha, International
Development Policy Analyst from Africa and Author, Why Africa Fails: The Case for
Growth Before Democarcy (Cape Town: Tafelberg, 2012)
Salutations:
Before I start my presentation, let me first of all thank the organizers of this congress for
their kind invitation. And for giving me the honour to speaker at this congress. To thank
them too for organizing such an audience for me. Am always looking for audiences to
address on African matters.
Introduction - Overview of Africa’s current challenges
Most experts and leaders in Africa have looked at various causes of the continents
underdevelopment. Some unfortunately present outcomes as the causes. I wish to state
the current challenges of our continent are:
i.
Capital problem and continued dependency on foreign aid (carrying that ‘begging
bowl”). The little capital we get goes majorly government instead of being used a
cheap credit for organized farmers – and other private sector. We need to avoid
having ’dead capital’ by lack of property rights as De Soto1 calls it. Let me mention
that in a democracy, people have rights. We can argue (and this argument is older
than the American Revolution)2 that citizens possess natural rights to life, liberty and
property and that these rights must be protected by rulers/leaders governing
through law.
ii.
A deficit of committed and patriotic leadership (and efforts at multi-party
democracy). Such poor leaders still use discrimination based on ethnicity, race or
colour, region, religion, and party affiliation to rule badly on our continent.
iii.
Failure of government to support the growth of the private sector. And strategies to
formalize the informal sector and tools for attracting investment.
iv.
Corruption – everywhere on the streets and in offices of the government, private
sector, and civil society. It is here. It is up there. It almost everywhere on the
continent. In Zambia, corruption has been described as the ‘fifth component’ in a
productive economy – after profits, wages, rent and interest. The Nyanja term
‘Nchekeleko’ means ‘give me my share’ or ‘cut me a piece’3.
v.
Population strategies and the right education for our children – tailored to our needs
including modernizing agriculture. The need for vocational and technical education
tailored to the current and future conditions can never be ignored.
De Soto, H., 2000. The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails
Everywhere Else. New York: Basic Books.
2 John Rocke (August 1632 – 28 October 1704), the British philosopher, stated that citizens possess
natural rights to life, liberty and property and that these rights must be protected by rulers/leaders
governing through law.
3 Twineyo – Kamugisha, E., (2012: 74). Why Africa Fails. Cape Town: NB/Tafelberg.
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vi.
vii.
Lack of attitude change towards endeavours at self–reliance and thinking and
behaving as members of the market operations (Gone are the days when the
Africans behaved and worked together as a group to construct houses, farm, and
raise family). We are in the market place – and we have to sell something in the
market: labour, services, or products.
Lack of meaningful regional integration and Africa-wide cooperation. This affects
efforts to boost both intra – and inter – regional trade; reducing total intra Africa
trade. Lack of meaningful regional integration is partly due to mistrust between
mainly political leadership and is influenced by geo-politics.
Why did I need a visa; a (South) African visa? By an African traveling on an African
flight to visit and speak to his African brothers? Africa unite!!!
viii.
Unfair international trade relations hindering African exports mainly to the lucrative
markets of USA, and Europe. There is need for access to markets and ‘just and fair’
trade. The lucrative markets in the developed world are highly protected. I have not
forgotten trade barriers to African goods and services in other parts of the globe.
The markets in advanced countries too are protected. Free trade has up to now
been preached but never practiced. In the real world there are trade barriers. Those
of you who export – and I know that Free State is a major exporter (agriculture and
mining products e.g gold) – you know what I mean.
The main question is “Can these challenges be addressed? By Africans themselves?
Yes we can address them if we are committed and patriotic, and our leaders practice
what they preach. Our leaders have to put in place policies, laws, regulations and
strategies that are focused on addressing the plight of the people on this continent. The
role of government is majorly to influence the level of economic activity and where the
conditions in the market/economy don’t perform well; it should come in and minimize
problems to avoid destabilizing the economy. The role of the state in Africa is still
needed for investing in strategic sectors, enterprises, and to undertake big projects such
rail road’s construction, and power generation.
Economic transformation vs. Economic growth in Africa
Economic growth has always been viewed as the quantitative increase in the volume
of goods and services. It is currently viewed as the continuous improvement in the
capacity to satisfy the demand for goods and services, resulting from increased
production scale, and improved productivity (innovations in products and processes)4.
Economic growth5 (or GDP) can be measured as total output, consumption or
expenditure. GDP growth can be measured in terms of demand which is the total
4Source:
DFID, “Sources Of Economic Growth”, Trade and Investment Analytical Papers, Topic 6 of
18:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32468/11-723-sourcesof-economic-growth.pdf (accessed on 1/10/14)
5 DFID, “Sources Of Economic Growth”, Trade and Investment Analytical Papers, Topic 6 of 18:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32468/11-723-sourcesof-economic-growth.pdf (accessed on 1/10/14))
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expenditure on goods and services, or supply which is the total goods and services
produced.
The key ingredients for economic growth are capital, labour and productivity. The
sources of economic growth are known to be capital accumulation and utilization,
technology and labour productivity. Traditionally, these sources included land. And
most African economies land remains key factor of production. Once these ingredients
are mixed very well - and with good political leadership - the economy will achieve
rapid economic growth.
Economic transformation and sustained economic growth are both necessary for
economic development. Many countries in Africa need social and economic
transformation. We need to understand the difference and relationship between
economic transformation and economic growth. There is widespread recognition of the
importance of economic growth to economies. There is however little appreciation of
the link between economic growth and economic transformation.
An economy can experience growth without economic transformation; but no country
can achieve economic transformation without also realizing economic growth. While
you can have growth without economic transformation, you can never have
economic transformation without growth. Agricultural reforms and expanded
investment in rural infrastructure can provide the basis for economic transformation in
Africa. China did it and it became a basis for economic transformation and poverty
reduction. In around three decades, china got over 300 million people out of poverty!!
In Africa, economic and social transformation needs effective and efficient institutions
and good leadership
The role of institutions in boosting economic performance have for a long time been
acknowledged since 1950s6, 1960s7, 2000s8 and recently in 2012 by Acemoglu and
Robinson in Why Nations Fails and myself in Why Africa Fails (though I take the view that
in Africa today institutions are not enough without good, foresighted and committed
political leaders). Key institutions in Africa include those for law and order agencies,
regulatory institutions, macroeconomic stabilization and private sector development,
export promotion, property rights, conflict management, and social insurance.
There is a relationship between political factors and economic growth (But there is no
direct correlation between democracy and growth. This is long debate that I will touch
on when making my presentation). Political instability will likely increase uncertainty,
discouraging investment and eventually hindering economic growth. Countries that
have experienced long spells of political instability have also had retarded growth.
There are many examples in Africa such as DRC, Central African Republic (CAR),
Somalia and Sudan, extra.
Lewis, A., (1955): The theory of Economic Growth. London: Allen and Unwin
Ayres, C.E., (1962): The Theory of Economic Progress. New York: Shocken Books
8 Rodrik, D., (2000), “Institutions For High-Quality Growth: What They Are And How To Acquire
Them”, NBER Working Paper No. 7540
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Leadership: Let us focus on leadership today. Where are we now? Where do we want
to be? How do we get there? Have we arrived? And lastly, is it paramount?
Good leadership is important for the growth of economies and positive image of
countries. Good leaders been credited with good policies for boosting domestic
investments, attracting and retaining FDI and remittances, and boosting exports, and
encouraging tourism. It is also associated with good policies for agriculture, industry,
population and education; and health; among others.
Good leaders have made their nations powerful and reputable brands. The term
‘Nation Brand’ is the sum of people’s perceptions of a country across the following six
areas of nation competence: exports, governance, tourism, investment and
immigration, culture and heritage, and people9. Good leadership tries to reduce ethnic
discrimination, having professional securities services (police, army, intelligence, etc.),
vigorously fights corruption, and starts to work on regular elections (caveat: regular
elections don’t always mean democracy).
Bad leaders have made their countries a laughing stock. They have sacred away
investors; or chased away existing investors. It has happened in my country Uganda
under Amin. It has happened or is happening in various countries our rich and beautiful
continent.
Are leaders committed to their country here on our Africa? Are they patriotic or
nationalistic?
I support patriotism. Patriotism can be referred to as an ethos whereby citizens are
devoted and loyal to their countries. Patriotism (derived from the Spanish word patria,
meaning one’s country or homeland) is a more modern “feeling” of one being aware
that one’s destiny is linked to a particular country, within its geographic confines (e.g.
South Africa) and wanting to advance the common good for all who find themselves
within the borders of that country. This is different from nationalism which is a feeling of
ethnic group considering themselves as nations and therefore have feeling of wanting
their own country. Chinua Achebe wrote about who patriot should be in The Trouble
with Nigeria10:
A patriot is a person who loves his country. He is not a person who says he loves his
country. He is not even a person who shouts and swears or recites and sings his love of
his country. He is the one who cares deeply about the happiness and well-being of his
country and its people. (Achebe, 1984: 15–16)
See Anholt, S., (2002), “Forword” Journal of Brand Management, 9(4/5), 229-239; Anholt, S.,
(2004), Branding Places and nations. In Clifton, R, Simmons, J, and Ahmad, S, (eds.), Brands and
Branding, Princeton. NJ: Bloomberg Press, London, 213-226.
10 Twineyo – Kamugisha, E., (2012:33). Why Africa Fails. Cape Town: NB/Tafelberg.
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The problem facing Africa is not primarily long spells of dictatorship but leaders who are
unpatriotic and uncommitted to their countries. Many are mercenaries looking for
something to plunder11.
Leaders staying long in power in Africa a problem? Why was it never a problem for the
East Asians? Why is it a problem for us?
The overall problem is not how long you are in power but what have stayed doing?
Show us the achievements. Lee Kwan Yew showed achievement for over 30 years in
Singapore. Singapore is now more advanced than almost all African countries including
the Rainbow Nation (South Africa).
South Africa requires good leadership to address political extremism on land issues,
among other challenges this country faces. In South Africa today there are mainly two
groups with extreme perceptions on land (not without racial and political undertones).
While I know there are those in the middle or on their independent side, there are two
radical groups: ii) the Young Radical Youth who believe in nationalising all land and
mines stating that the colonialists stole it from their forefathers and enriched themselves
using slave labour; and ii) the extreme right-wing (usually stereotyped as grey bearded
khaki clad Afrikaaner racist) believing religiously that the land is theirs at all costs and
that they are superior to blacks. While I understand the bitter history of colonization and
apartheid in Africa and South Africa, we can’t continue to live in the present in past.
We need to move on. We need to stop watching this ‘bad movie’. I will come back to
this issue later in this presentation.
The contribution of agriculture to South Africa
Experience shows that for agricultural based economies, economic transformation
begins with reforms in the agricultural sector in order to raise productivity12. This was the
experience of your country South Africa in the 1950s and early 1960s and China in the
late 1970s after it embraced market friendly policies which it called ‘open door policy’.
Agriculture will remain important for African countries for the next 30 years and beyond.
Such a sector that currently employs more than 50 per cent of the current population in
most Sub-Sahara African countries including Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi,
Zambia, and Tanzania among others cannot be ignored.
Agriculture plays an important role in the economy of South Africa. It provides jobs,
incomes, and contributes to GDP.
The contribution to GDP is around 3 per cent but it contributes around 10 percent of
total jobs in the economy. So it is important. During 2013 its contribution decreased by
R15 billion to R17 billion, partly due to not enough enabling environment for the sector13.
Twineyo – Kamugisha, E., (2012:49). Why Africa Fails. Cape Town: NB/Tafelberg.
Economist Schultz (1978) has argued that productivity-led agricultural growth is more important
for economic transformation than simply sending “surplus” labour to urban industry.
13 Statistics South Africa (2013), “ Gross domestic product: Third quarter 2013; Statistical release
P0441
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However, according to the Department of Agriculture, forestry & fisheries, gross farming
income from all agricultural products for the year ended 30 June 2013 is estimated at
R178 050 million, which is 10,1% higher than for the previous corresponding period. Gross
farming income from field crops increased by 7.3% and amounted to R49 287 million.
The income from horticultural products rose by 11.3%, from R40 538 million to R45 126
million. Income from animal products amounted to R83 637 million, an increase of
11.2%14.
When agriculture becomes unattractive (has it ever been attractive?) and the famers
abandon their gardens/farms, the following bad situations will occur:
a) Dependency on food imports, and sometimes food aid. The former takes away the
country’s foreign exchange that could have been used for other purposes such as
importing equipment and machines for processing/manufacturing. The latter makes
a country loose its ‘self-esteem’. The country becomes a beggar. This is bad and as
Lucky Dube said ‘blessed is the hand that giveth than the one that taketh’. Leaders
shouldn’t subject their countries to the ‘begging culture’ but one of hard work; and
of ‘self –esteem’.
b) Lose of employment. Unemployment comes with various negatives such as reduced
GDP; begging for foreign aid; rising number of criminals; disease; and political
unrest.
Agriculture the biggest economic activity of Free State
In 2013, agriculture was the biggest economic activity of Free State. Infact, the
agriculture sector of Free State is at position three in South Africa when we consider the
regional distribution of economic activity. We are saying that Free State is number three
contributor to the agriculture sector nationally (after KwaZulu-Natal, and Western
Cape). At the provincial level, it is the major activity of this region, followed by personal
services, and mining and quarrying15.
While agriculture forms a bigger party of this region’s GDP, there a bigger informal part
of it than for example mining and quarrying (which is number 3 contributor of the
region’s GDP).
We should also mention agro-processing and the contribution of agriculture to
industrialization both in South Africa and Free State in particular. Agriculture provides
both forward and backward linkages. It provides the market for industrial goods and
provides raw materials to industries. It also feeds the workers in both the agricultural and
industrial sectors. I quote for you from the Department of Agriculture, forestry & fisheries,
Republic of South Africa16:
Government of South Africa (2013:1), “Economic Review of the South African Agriculture 2012/13”,
Department of Agriculture, forestry & fisheries, Republic of South Africa, PRETORIA.
15 Statistics South Africa (2013), “ Gross domestic product: Third quarter 2013; Statistical release
P0441
16 Government of South Africa (2013), “Economic Review of the South African Agriculture 2012/13:
Foreword”, Department of Agriculture, forestry & fisheries, Republic of South Africa, PRETORIA.
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Agriculture’s prominent, indirect role in the economy is a function of backward and
forward linkages to other sectors. Purchases of goods such as fertilisers, chemicals and
implements form backward linkages with the manufacturing sector, while forward
linkages are established through the supply of raw materials to the manufacturing
industry. About 70% of agricultural output is used as intermediate products in the sector.
Agriculture is therefore a crucial sector and an important engine of growth for the rest
of the economy.
Agriculture is therefore important; and it will never go away. We need it as human
beings. The region is considered the ‘breadbasket’17 of the economy18. The government
minister said it, not me. The province takes up 3.2 million hectares of cultivated land and
occupies 10.6% of the total South African land19.
Challenges of Free State Agriculture
These have been identified by both AgriSA and FSA and they include those in Box 1:
Box 1: Challenges of farmers/agriculture in South Africa as identified by AgriSA and FSA
Challenge
Can it be addressed? How? Some approaches
Mega projects of the state Government should carefully create an enabling
highly subsidised, interfering with environment for agriculture (boost production, and
the local market20
entire value chain) via legislation, institutions and
targeted support.
Safety
and
security:
farm This is the role of the state: law and order; security.
murders and theft
Political perception:
extreme This is a Rainbow Nation that has no choice but to
groups on either side of the embrace unity – in diversity. Black, White, or coloured,
political spectrum
have been here and are going no-where. You have
to find the solution to live in harmony. Government
must find long term solutions. Good leaders are
required here. Solutions aren’t easy coming. Don’t
play to the gallery: don’t please one group.
Land reform without disrupting This is related to the above. This is a sensitive issue.
ongoing
productive
and There is need to ensure property rights. Where there
efficient commercial agriculture have been historical mistakes, government is
The Minister, Prof. Hlengiwe Mkhize, qualified why Free State economy is considered to be the
“breadbasket” by country but stating that animal products contribute a 30% of the gross
agricultural income in the Free State Province, with the balance generated by horticulture; the
province’s export capacity of about 1.2 million tons of cut flowers per year;. That in the Free State
field crops yield almost two-thirds of the gross agricultural income;. Soya, sorghum, sunflowers and
wheat are cultivated in the eastern Free State, where farmers specialize in seed production; and that
about 40% of the country's potato yield comes from the province's high-lying areas.
18 Keynote Address On “Free State Province Trade, Investment and Tourism Promotion Symposium”
By Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Prof. Hlengiwe Mkhize, MP, Republic of South Africa
at President Hotel, Bloemfontein 27 January 2014
19 The words of Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Prof. Hlengiwe Mkhize, MP as similar to
information
available
from
Free
State
Development
Corporation
(see
http://www.fdc.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80&Itemid=93 (accessed on
19/6/2014)
20 Government projects are often undertaken in collaboration with international partners / donors.
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supposed to ensure that the solution benefits all
parties – without negatively affecting growth.
Trust between national and This has to be built. Start to initiate a process of
provincial political leadership building the relationship. Start to show that you are
and commercial farmers and partners not competitors – because you aren’t.
their representative bodies
Insufficient diversification from Agriculture still remains a sector riddled with
traditional farming i.e. to reduce investment risks. But which business is risk free? Can the
risk and exposure to relatively government
encourage
commercialization
of
few buyers of products
agriculture? Through support programmes? Not only
legislation?
Agriculture Finance: important along the entire value
chain. Farmers find commercial loans not suited to
farming. Agriculture requires a special credit facility.
Too little involvement in value The associations need to work with partners (including
chains(i.e. to be more pro- government) to begin to look at the entire value
active
in
value-adding chain. Failure of any of the players along the chain
enterprises)
affects other players (e.g. the right seed or breed
boosts processing and marketing of corn or meet).
In adequate access to more
water resources (to increase
horticultural production and as
a result employment)
Rapidly declining infrastructure
(roads,
electricity,
communication,
government
support services)
Effects
of
economic
recessionary conditions such
weak
Rand,
and
high
unemployment
Government failures and
weaknesses (including some
elements of incompetence/
lack of skills and experience in
service delivery, rampant
corruption, lack of good
economic and social policies
and legislation)
The role of government is needed here. Water for
agriculture should future in the national and provincial
budgets. While famers can procure equipment for
and irrigate their gardens, they need the source of
water supported by government.
China has more roads than USA. Why? They realized
that road infrastructure was a prerequisite to their
growth. Electricity remains a political issue that must
continue to future in the country’s debates and
national budgets. Government service delivery is
paramount. Elections should be based on a record of
government services delivery.
How does a currency gain strength against other
currencies? One sure way: More production and
export makes our currency powerful. The more we
export, the more we have a strong currency.
Government failures and weaknesses:
 Rampant corruption kills the image of a country. It
kills morale of the hard working farmers, miners,
traders, and industrialists. It breeds social and
political unrest.
 The success of developed and ‘advanced’
countries has been credited to their good
economic and social policies and legislation.
Policies and legislation give the country’s workers,
farmers, traders, and financial institutions guide
and
direction.
They
show
government’s
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commitment to growth and development.
Are they different from the challenges that other farmers face in other parts of Africa?
No.
Agriculture – and trade too – is largely underfunded by the government budget in most
African countries. While I agree that part of the budget that goes to roads and other
infrastructure, and to security contributes to the development of agriculture, I still want
ample budget going directly to the ministry responsible for agriculture. Agriculture will
also not thrive without good land policies, laws and regulations. These should not be
arbitrary and ambiguous. Access to water for commercial farmers is important. They
need access to water so that they can irrigate their gardens. Access to cheap sources
of water makes farming attractive – and affordable. The association and farmers need
good road infrastructure, cheap power21, and water, etc.
Who trades? It is the government; but it is the companies that do business – locally or by
exporting. So what is the government trading in in agriculture if it has not supported the
farmers? You trade when you have merchandize or services to trade in.
Let us touch on corruption, as we have seen, it affects agriculture. With regard to
corruption, I have suggested (in Why Africa Fails) that in order to reduce corruption in
government, we should take it that the corrupt borrowed our money and should refund
it at higher interest. Because they borrowed without giving us collateral security. The
courts should have the power to apply the principle of time value of money approach.
This means that the court should be able to recover from the offender the stolen money
with interest, taking into account the time period the offender has been using the assets
or money obtained through corrupt practice. They should also be charged a higher
rate of interest than the normal rate imposed on those borrowing from banks to invest
and create wealth22.
The anti-corruption courts should be independent of the executive branch of
government and apply punitive measures that leave offenders limited chances of
appeal.
The role of FSA in addressing the challenges we have identified:
Some of the challenges can be addressed by the farmers’ association itself. Others
require the role of the state (government).
I have read the presentation by Dan Kriek President Free State Agriculture to NERSA on the
“Proposed MYPD3 ESKOM increase Impacts on Agriculture” Dated 2013/01/21. He was saying that
Landbou FS-Agriculture’s views are that a restructuring of Eskom’s tariffs should only apply to
electricity usage and not to infrastructure charges as a more acceptable approach. That the new
farmers cannot afford new installations (showing that e.g a 25kVA transformer at R17 000 is a major
barrier to entry for new farmers).
22 Twineyo – Kamugisha, E., (2012:80). Why Africa Fails. Cape Town: NB/Tafelberg.
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What the organisation itself can do?
The association can for example engage the farmers in training them to understand
and adopt new methods of farming and innovative technologies that increase
production and productivity. It can also have demonstrations to show how to do
right things in modern agriculture.
II) Developing Networks and Coalitions to compaign on agriculture related issues:
Networks and coalitions make sense when the issue you are campaigning around
has broad appeal and you want to unite around a common goal.
III) Partnership with government at the provincial and national level: For any private
association to succeed, it will need the cooperation, good will and sometimes the
support of the local and central government. You have to identify and obtain allies
within government. How do you let your views reach government board rooms and
‘decision making tables’ if you have no allies (but only enemies) in government? This
is important.
I)
How to “ask government” – lobbying and advocacy
Both the provincial and the national government are important to the farmers’
association in many ways: law and order nationally, security and defense, negotiating
international trade arrangements, controlling inflation (though the best way to control
food–induced inflation is via more agriculture production), and managing geo-politics.
So you need to government. It needs you too. Below we see how to work government.
The ‘soft’ approach:
It is Important how you package your information for the government audience – both
the allies and those that don’t see it your way. To borrow the concept from marketing,
how do you position yourself in order to appeal to the stakeholders – including
government? If we considered you as a brand, how do you keep in the minds of the
actual and potential customers? Positioning is in the mind of the person you are trying
to influence. In marketing, Al Ries and Jack Trout (1972)23 say that it is not what you do
to the product that matters for a product to get the customer but what you do to the
mind of the customer. Decisions are made in the minds of persons – whether as
customers or decision makers.
Working with elected leaders: Even in this current era of rampant cynicism about
politics, you can still influence the political process by making your genuine requests to
politicians. At the end of the day, our lawmakers work for us as our representatives. We
elected them: some legislate for us and others are in cabinet – executive – ruling or
‘leading’ us.
As Al Ries and Jack Trout (1972), Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, “Positioning is not what
you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect. That is, you position the
product in the mind of the prospect.
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Working with government technical staff and cabinet ministers: prepare and present
position papers to them. Make analysis of the costs and benefits of the government’s
action, policies, regulations and laws on the economy, jobs and livelihoods. Request to
have bad laws and policies reviewed.
Use high profile and influential people who support you to help persuade government
or others to join you.
The ‘hard’ approach:
Demonstrative actions as direct action:
Under parliamentary democracies, the people give their power to their elected
representatives. As Aristotle puts it, ‘you surrender your powers to the elected
representative’. It should be mentioned still, that democracy rests on a simple idea that
elected representatives serve the interests of those who elect them. Holding elected
officials accountable is vital because they can influence the Executive or cabinet
decisions.
Where the representative does a shoddy job, you may choose to remove him/her and
represent yourself. You retain the power to recall your representative – in the event of
poor performance. Here we can use demonstrative actions as direct action.
Demonstrative actions as direct action: It is, first of all, civil action – as opposed to the
military option of armed resistance – and is therefore usually non-violent. Direct action
may take different forms, including demonstrations and stunts. Demonstrations and
Stunts: at one time in Kenya (late 2007!) there was a demonstration against Economic
Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations between EU and Africa. The slogan they
used was that “I’d rather be a European cow rather than a Kenyan farmer”.
Using the Law: Litigation here involves taking government agencies to court. Litigation
can be used to raise awareness about a problem, to help define a programme or right,
to make an individual or group claim, or as a long-term strategy for law reform. You can
decide to use the law: i) After trying other strategies, ii) At the same time as trying other
strategies; and iii) In some urgent cases before trying other strategies. Litigation takes
time. It costs money to brief and employ a legal team to defend you.
How to use the media in your advocacy: The influence of the mass media has changed
today’s art of demonstrations. Small-scale, high impact stunts are used to reach the
huge audiences that a few column inches or broadcast seconds can bring.
Train the media on understanding commercial agriculture – what is involved, the
contribution to food security, employment and incomes, and GDP, and the challenges.
Organise sensitization workshops for Editors and reporters. Lobby the editors of the print
media to highlight articles of particular interest to general audiences on agriculture.
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Leadership at FSA: Leadership of private sector association such the Free State
Agriculture has to be strong, and committed. It has to understand the issues that affect
them; and the views of government on such issues. Hire a strong analytical team as the
secretariat (and continue building staff capacity) that understands these issues to help
the association advance farmers issues to government, and other partners (including
buyers, suppliers of agri-inputs, etc.).
Conclusion: Let me conclude as follows:
I believe that i) currently Africa needs patriotic and visionary leadership (who see far
ahead); ii) African unity has no substitute – we must unite; iii) economic growth first; and
iv) property rights matter.
Those who still think about racial inequality (whether they are white or black) should not
have a place in the Rainbow Nation.
Government in a developmental state has to play the role of supporting the private
sector. Let me mention that as an economist and international business graduate too,
educated more on liberal economics of economic liberalization and ‘open up’, you
may not expect me to talk about government support or subsidization to agriculture.
But I will, and continue to do so until the rich countries stop their domestic farm support
and export subsidies – coupled with trade barriers, they make our exports
uncompetitive. These rich economies are always there looking for markets under trade
agreements (especially bilateral trade agreements) of their subsidized farm produce
that enjoy export subsidies as well. It may be time even for our poor economies to start
supporting our farmers. Our big brothers – (brothers or business competitors!) – have
been and are supporting their farmers.
Thank you for listening to me.
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