Chains and Sustainable Development Essay Example for Free

Chains and Sustainable Development Essay Those of us who preach the gospel of agriculture with evangelical zeal find the text compelling and convincing. We are regularly possessed by the spirit only to look around and see out colleagues, in other sectors, in country management, or even our senior management doubting, yawning or subtly edging towards the door. We face the implicit query, â€Å"If agriculture can do such great things, why have they not yet happened? †1 The past decade has been one of agro-pessimism. The promises that agricultural development seem to hold did not materialise. This pessimism seemed to coincide with pessimism about Sub-Saharan Africa. Especially for Sub-Saharan Africa the hope was that economic development would be brought about by agricultural development. After the success of the green revolution in Asia, the hope was that a similar agricultural miracle would transform African economies. But this hope never materialised, agricultural productivity did not increase much in SSA (figure 1), and worse, the negative effects of the green revolution in Asia became more apparent, such as pesticide overuse and subsequent pollution. Also in Asia the yield increases tapered off. The sceptics put forward several arguments why agriculture is no longer an engine of growth2. For instance, the liberalisation of the 1990s and greater openness to trade has lead to a reduction in the economic potential of the rural sector: cheap imported Chinese plastic buckets out compete the locally produced pottery. On the other hand, it does mean cheaper (imported) supplies. With rapid global technical change and increasingly integrated markets, prices fall faster than yields rise. So, rural incomes fall despite increased productivity if they are net producers3. The integration of rural with urban areas means that healthy young people move out of agriculture, head to town, leaving behind the old, the sick and the dependent. It is often also the men who move to urban areas, leaving women in charge of the farm. This has resulted in the increased sophistication of agricultural markets (and value chains) which excludes traditional smallholders, who are poorly equipped to meet the demanding product specifications and timeliness of delivery required by expanding supermarkets. The natural resource base on which agriculture depends is poor and deteriorating. Productivity growth is therefore increasingly more difficult to achieve. Finally, multiplier effects occur when a change in spending causes a disproportionate change in aggregate demand. Thus an increase in spending produces an increase in national income and consumption greater than the initial amount spent. But as GDP rises and the share of agriculture typically decreases, the question is how important these multiplier effects are, especially when significant levels of poverty remain in rural areas, which is the case in middleincome countries. The disappointment with agriculture led many donor organisations to turn away from agriculture, looking instead to areas that would increase the well-being of poor people, such as health and education. Those organisations that still focused on agriculture, such as the CGIAR, were put under pressure to focus more on reducing poverty, besides increasing agricultural productivity. However, since the beginning of the new century, there seems to be a renewed interest in agriculture. A review of major policy documents5, including the well-publicised Sachs report and the Kofi Annan report, show that agriculture is back on the agenda again. The most influential report, however, has been the World Development Report 2008 of the World Bank6. This report argues that growth in the agricultural sector 1 contributes proportionally more to poverty reduction than growth in any other economic sector and that therefore alone, the focus should be on the agricultural sector when achieving to reach MDG 1. A reassessment of the role of agriculture in development seems to be required. This policy paper addresses several timely though complex questions: †¢ First, how can or does agriculture contribute to economic development, and in particular how does it relate to poverty? †¢ Second, the agricultural sector has changed considerably in the past decades: what are the main drivers of this change? †¢ Third, what is the relationship between economic or agricultural growth and pro-poor development? †¢ Fourth, how does agriculture relate to other sectors in the economy? †¢ Fifth, who is included and who is excluded in agricultural development, specifically focusing on small farms? †¢ And finally, if agricultural development is indeed important to economic development, then why, despite all the efforts and investments, has this not led to more successes? 2. Agriculture and economic growth This section presents a number of factual observations describing how the agricultural sector changed in terms of productivity, contribution to economic growth, and indicating the relevance of the agricultural sector for poverty alleviation in different regions. Background: some facts In the discussion of the role of agriculture in economic development, a leading question is how agriculture contributes to economic growth, and especially to pro-poor growth. There seems to be a paradox in the role of agriculture in economic development. The share of agriculture contributing to GDP is declining over the years (see figure 1). At the same time, the productivity of for instance cereal yields has been increasing (see figure 2). It seems that as agriculture becomes more successful, its importance declines in the overall economy. Of course, other sectors in the economy can be even more successful, such as the Asian Tigers. Chains and Sustainable Development. (2016, Sep 07).

The Taika Reform Edicts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Taika Reform Edicts - Essay Example During this time, the empire experienced great concord with less fractiousness among the people. After a period, common clan names such as Omi, Muraji and Uji took over the titles of Gods and emperors. â€Å"In recent times, however, the names, first of the Gods, and then of the Emperors, have in some cases been separated (from their proper application) and converted into the  Uji  of Omi or  Muraji, [common clan names in Japan]† This separation resulted to some consequences and strong partisan bias among the people in the entire country. The monarchy system was centralized, and the clans seem to be an obstacle to this system hence pushing for decentralization of the ruling system in the Japanese state. This decentralization is in the form of selfish interests by the clans. The minds of people have become unsettled, which has made the government unable to carry on with its functions. Japanese elites such as Muraji 12, Omi 11, Kuni no Moyakko 2 and Tomo no Miyakko 5 came up with a set of their own vassals (Varley, 2003). These vassals have been compelled to labor at their arbitrary pleasure (Varley, 2003). Moreover, the seas, hills, ponds, rice fields, woods and plains have been cut off and assigned them to their provinces and to themselves (Varley, 2003).. This has resulted to some kind of contest among the elites and the leaders. It is evident also that the elites have gone further to make people pay taxes to them instead of the government. They first take their share and later take the leftovers to the central government. The Japanese state had few people, in regards to the whole population, and instead of benefiting from their own land and resources; they are cut off and sold to them at high prices. The resources that had been shared by the clans are regulated, and an elderman appointed in each ward. In addition, the population is registered and re-granting of land distribution provided to the

Cross cultural Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cross cultural - Coursework Example In this empirical research, the leadership style of Indian, UK and US managers have been compared. The basic theory used in this research is Hofstede theory of culture. As the leadership styles are influenced by cultures of different nations, it is important to understand the basic culture of the nation. Thus, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory will help in evaluating strategies which leaders need to apply while working in different nations (Hofstede, 2007). Leadership styles Leadership styles across the globe are diverse and influenced by specific attributes dominating the environment. Various leadership styles have been researched and identifies by scholars. These include; 1. Autocratic Leadership It is described as an extreme transactional leadership style. The leader exerts a lot of power over individuals. There is a little opportunity for staffs and team members in terms of making suggestions or decisions. The style is best used during crisis situation. 2. Bureaucratic Leadership In bureaucratic style, rules are followed vigorously and the major objective of the leader is to make sure that every team member follows the guidelines and procedures. This style of leadership will work best on organisations having routine tasks such as factories and manufacturing units. 3. Charismatic Leadership It is a type of transformational leadership. ... Leadership studies Leadership can be defined as an individual’s ability to influence and inspire the attitude, behaviour and thinking of other individuals. The principle objective of a leader is to assure that synergy is achieved in the organisation where the leader works. A leader is expected to bring mutual understanding and coordination in the workplace through joint efforts from the employees working in the organisation (Dowling, Welch and Schuler, 1999). Researches from various studies conducted all over the world have suggested that leadership styles vary from nation to nation and even from region to region. In some nations leadership means authority, control and power (Fatehi, 1996). While in other nations it may signify motivating employees and subordinates, in a manner which is non-coercive. Thus, it is becoming increasingly important for leaders to understand the culture and perception of people/employees, where the company has established its subsidiary (Aycan, et a l., 2000). Countries and leadership styles USA Most of the US leaders tend to use participative, charismatic or directive leadership styles. Freedom of action is less for board of directors and executives in America. There is no congruent culture and the general tendencies include dominance, individualism and functionalism. UK Individualistic, informative and descriptive leadership styles are followed by managers in UK. They have a particular affinity to details and in-depth analysis. They are more willing to take decisions on individual basis and also delegate responsibilities and tasks to others. Comparison of the US, UK and Indian leadership Styles In order to compare leadership styles of America and India, Hofstede Cultural model have been used. 1.