I was right about "Free-market economics"!

Originally posted by agryson
As for your point on conglomerating farms, I don't know what the plans are there, but you seem to be looking at it from an exportation point of view. Small farms are perfectly sufficient to feed teh local populace, though if Malawi hopes to make a significant profit off of agriculture, tehy will need to encourage co-ops or consolidation of farms, but in the ...[text shortened]... down inflation (which has almost halved in the past two years since the new government came in)

And cheaper food will help drive down inflation. They don't need corporate farms as much as they need bigger farms. For more taxes to fund the subsidies and to make alternative means of watering more practical.

Originally posted by Merk
And cheaper food will help drive down inflation. They don't need corporate farms as much as they need bigger farms. For more taxes to fund the subsidies and to make alternative means of watering more practical.

You can't start conglomerating farms until there are alternative jobs for the farmers to move to. It needs to be a natural process of people moving towards secondary and service industries to free up the land. A middle of the ground alternative is co-ops where several farms work together, sharing resources. When the situation is more stable, secondary industries can be encouraged, the land frees up and farms get more efficient, allowing the subsidies to be eased off and then free market economics can get a foot-hold. Until the industrial base and infrastructure is in place, as pointed out by someone else earlier, it's too early for free-market principles.

Originally posted by agryson
You can't start conglomerating farms until there are alternative jobs for the farmers to move to. It needs to be a natural process of people moving towards secondary and service industries to free up the land. A middle of the ground alternative is co-ops where several farms work together, sharing resources. When the situation is more stable, secondary indust ...[text shortened]... s in place, as pointed out by someone else earlier, it's too early for free-market principles.

A co-op is a fine option.

Originally posted by Merk
A co-op is a fine option.

Thanks, though I accept it's a short term option. Without development of larger farms in the long-term, other industrial bases will never kick off.