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In the past half-century, nearly every development model has
failed to bring Sub-Saharan Africa to a level where it can compete in
an international market. With the current development models,
trillions of dollars would have to be invested to make international
trade a viable option. This level of aid would be unlikely even if the
global economy wasn’t in a downturn, or if the cost of oil wasn’t
escalating. Due to these development failures, many people tend to
throw up their hands and give up on Sub-Saharan Africa as a lost
cause.
As an alternative to this defeatist portrait, Working Villages
has created a development model called Village Self Reliance.
Village Self Reliance is founded around two ideas, Swadeshi and
Sustainable Agriculture. Swadeshi, or “localized economics,” provides
the economic framework and the social ideals, and Sustainable
Agriculture provides the ecological foundation.
By combining these two frameworks, Working Villages has done something
unprecedented in development: it has put forward a vision of a thriving
Africa, while simultaneously describing a clear economic and ecological
roadmap of how to get there. Village Self Reliance is the first
comprehensive, implementable and sustainable blueprint for building a
renewed Africa – and a better world.
Village Self Reliance has five stages from beginning to
completion:
Stage one focuses on growing crops and building the
infrastructure to support crop production and storage. This
includes providing hands-on training in organic growing techniques,
clearing the land and planting, digging irrigation canals, training
people in animal traction, and building barns and drying pads for
crops. Agriculture is our primary focus because hunger is a pressing
concern, and supersedes other issues.
In stage two, we build up the manufacturing capacity to build
the village itself. Quarries, clay pits and sand pits are
started to obtain raw materials. Forestation projects are begun;
smithies and lumber mills are built, as well as a variety of kilns to
fire brick, lime and mortar. During this stage, buildings construction
is begun, at an estimated rate of 30 houses per month. Ultimately, we
will produce about 900-1000 houses, which will house 5-7000 people.
Stage three is the production of all non-agricultural commodity
infrastructure, such as looms, pottery kilns, paper pulpers,
bakeries or any other necessary function of daily life.
During stage four, people are trained in different
trades. As they gain competence and expertise, we turn over
ownership to the village and its inhabitants. Small holdings such as
smithies and papermakers will be given to individuals, whereas larger
establishments like brick kilns will go to the village government.
Each small business will belong to an individual for ownership but not
resale, which will prevent the disastrous land speculation that has
historically occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In stage five, we remain in whatever advisory capacity the
local villagers want, but without any ownership or employment
function. The village will at this point be a fully functioning and
independent eco-community, housing and employing thousands of people
without ever requiring another dollar of foreign aid.
More info on . . .
Swadeshi: localized economics
Sustainable Agriculture
Appropriate Technology: the tools of Village Self Reliance
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