An observation

     A random observation while I have decent internet and am waiting for the meeting this afternoon.

     Driving down the road, we passed a Liberian carrying a stalk of bananas over his shoulder to market.  He was of interminable age and could have been anywhere from his early 20's into his 40's.  From the route, we knew that he still had several miles to go to get to the market and we had no idea of how long he had been walking.  Bananas are a commodity, but banana trees are widespread and that stalk of bananas couldn't have too much value.  

     It makes one reflect on the monstrous inefficiencies in the developing world.  The man that we passed will have invested a whole day in carrying a heavy stalk of bananas to the market, selling it for a small amount of money (or bartering for something of similar value) and then walking home.  While this may produce enough money to meet his needs, it also results in higher prices for commodities when the only way that you can obtain them is through an inefficient manner.  Eggs in Tappita cost around $1 US per egg.  

     But what would efficiency add?  If someone set up a Walmart in Tappita, what would that do?  Immediately, people would buy their bananas from the Walmart at a much cheaper price and not buy from the man walking down the road.  People in the market would no longer have 'jobs'.  Then, how would resources be distributed so that the man earns enough money to feed his family?  The efficiency of a Walmart could mean starvation for the people on the margins.  

     I am certainly not advocating continuing the inefficiencies in the developing world. But I do think that we need to be very careful with 'top down' solutions.  Programs such as education, improved communication, improved infrastructure and access to capitol could produce more lasting progress with much less disruption.  They would be tools by which that man could produce more bananas and more efficiently bring them to market.  He could then sell a greater number of them at a lower price and make enough money to improve his familiy's situation.  We need to have a more organic program of development that facilitates the people in the developing world in finding their own better paths forward, rather than top down solutions that can hurt as much as they help.  At least most of the time, in most situations.  Nothing is universal.

     Thanks for your prayers.  After I return to Tappita, I may have a harder time posting due to the bandwidth of our internet connection.  However, improving that is one of the projects that we are working on.