Reduce Inequality in promoting peace by supporting the Organic Industry

A Proposal to the Rotary Community

+In the Past…

“… the best way of improving the quality of human life was to raise material living standards. When the wolf was never far

from the door, good times were simply times of plenty.”

~ The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone

+But now…

  Most of us wish to eat less rather than more

  On average, the poor are fatter than the rich

  There have been long-term rises in rates of anxiety, depression and numerous other social problems, e.g. the shooting in Aurora, Colorado, USA and Norway.

  The measures of wellbeing and happiness ceased to rise with economic growth

+Material Success, Social Failure

+Comparison between Rich Countries

More Equal Less Equal Average Income (GNP per Capita)

Child Well-being Better Worse -

Level of Trust Higher Less -

Prevalence of Mental Illness

Lower Higher -

Drug Use Less More -

Life Expectancy Longer Less -

Infant Mortality Lower Higher -

Adult Obesity Lower Higher -

Educational Scores

Higher Lower -

+Comparison between Rich Countries

More Equal Less Equal Average Income (GNP per Capita)

High School Drop Out

Less More -

Teen Pregnancy Rate

Lower Higher -

Homicide Less More -

Children Experience More Conflict

Less More -

Imprisonment Rate Less Higher -

Social Mobility Higher Lower -

+Argument

“The problems in rich countries are not caused by the society not being rich enough… but by the scale of material

differences between people within each society being too big. What matters is where we stand in relation to others in

our own society”

~ The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone

+List of Countries by Income Equality

Source: Wikipedia.org

UN R/P UN R/P World Bank WB Gini Country 10%[3] 20%[4] Gini (%)[5] (year)

Bolivia 93.9 42.3 57 2007 Argentina 31.6 17.8 46 2009 Malaysia 22.1 12.4 46 2009 Mexico 21.6 12.8 52 2008 China, People's Republic of 21.6 12.2 42 2005 Hong Kong 17.8 9.7 43 1996 Singapore 17.7 9.7 42 1998 Russia 12.7 7.6 42 2008 Thailand 12.6 7.7 42 2004 New Zealand 12.4 6.8 36 1997 Cambodia 12.2 7.3 44 2007 Italy 11.6 6.5 36 2000 Netherlands 9.2 5.1 31 1999 France 9.1 5.6 33 1995 Switzerland 9 5.5 34 2000 Germany 6.9 4.3 28 2000

Japan 4.5 3.4 25 1993

+Argument

“The problems in rich countries are not caused by the society not being rich enough… but by the scale of material

differences between people within each society being too big. What matters is where we stand in relation to others in

our own society”

~ The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone

+Closer to home…

A 50-year-old scrap collector was arrested and later confessed to having thrown detergent at one victim in Saphan Khwai. The reason, he claimed, was his anger about social discrimination and insults he felt had been directed to hi by society in general. And he chose to vent his anger by attacking innocent people.

~ The Nation Editorial (June 12, 2012)

12A THENAHON TAiesday, June 12,2012

'J-Vi

EDBTORBAL

GIVE RURAL PEOPLE A CHANCE TO MAKE A LIVING AT HOME Extreme poverty is forcing more and more people into the cities, where they face even more hurdles that can lead to lives of drug abuse and crime

The recent reports of acid attacks on pedestrians in Bangkok are disturbing indeed. The reports have apparently been cir-culating for months, and they have scared Bangkokians. But

the reasons behind these acts of hatred are perhaps a reflection of the chronic issue of uncontrolled urban migration.

Rachan Theerakitnukul, a 50-year-old scrap collector, was arrested and later confessed to having thrown detergent at one victim in Saphan Khwai. The reason, he claimed, was his anger about social discrimina-tion and insults he felt had been directed to him by society in general. And he chose to vent his anger by attacking innocent people.

Rachan has no right to hurt anyone, regardless of his feelings about society. But his problem brings into focus the issue of unmanaged urban migration. Bangkok has become overcrowded because desperate people like Rachan are forced to move to the cities to find work. Rachan drives a "saleng^cart around town to collect scrap and waste materials in order to make ends meet

Many people in the provinces don't see a bright future where they live, and they lose the will to stay on to try to make a living in their hometowns or villages. For some, the economic hardship is so difficult to cope with that they resort to drug or alcohol abuse. Rachan is a typical example of this. He is among the thousands of migrants from the countryside who find it hard to get by in the big city, and he has been deemed mentally unstable by the authorities because of his use of methamphetamines.

The Bangkok metropolitan area has grown very fast over the past few decades. Although successive governments have.wanted to curb

v that growth in accordance with National Economic and Social j,.i„ in- w-^r^mmrmm

Development board policy to slow the influx of upcountry people -more migrants continue to pour into Bangkok every year.

Inadequate economic oppor-tunities,^ the provinces force thousands ofpeo^eitbmovetq)«,, Bangkok. Most have to leave their families behind, and when they find menial work in the city, a significant portion of their income is sent back to their rela-tives in the provinces. But that is not always the case. Many rural migrants find it too hard to get by on minimum wages, since the cost of living in the city is high, and they lack access to social support. This can cause stress, depression and mental illness.

The problem here is the imbal-ance in development between the rural and urban areas. There are still too few job opportunities in the rural areas. Arid without decent education and proper skills, people like Rachan are forced into taking whatever kind of work they can get.

The uncontrolled growth of the city also exacerbates the already existing problems of crime and poor sanitation. In a lot of urban districts, social

amenities and infrastructure are inadequate, and what public serv-ices there are quickly deteriorate through overuse.

The government and its agencies need to give higher priority to balancing growth between the rural and urban areas. There is an urgent need to create new job opportunities in the rural areas and encourage businesses to move out of the cities. Studies have proved that people are often happier when they're able to work close to their homes and families. By providing jobs to more rural people and encouraging them to stay and help develop their hometowns, productivity will increase and bolster the rural economy.

Rural people always become a top priority for politicians seeking election, but once they're elected, politicians from the remote provinces rarely do anything to help improve the lot of their con-stituents. Thus we see the ongoing migration to bigger cities.

If this problem is not properly addressed, more people struggling to survive in the city could end up like Rachan. We will see more druj abuse, more crime and more people venting their anger at not being given the opportunity to enjoy a decent standard of living.

A 50-year-old scrap collector was arrested and later confessed to having thrown detergent at one victim in Saphan Khwai. The reason, he claimed, was bis anger about social discrimination and insults he felt had been directed to him by society in general. And he chose to vent his anger by attacking innocent people.

+Suggested Solution

“Give Rural People a Chance to

Make a Living at Home”

~ The Nation Editorial (June 12, 2012)

+The Spirit Level

“Liberty, Equality and Fraternity”

“Self-realization”

+The Spirit Level

“greater equality can address a wide range of problems across whole societies. And if greater equality is also an important

component of policies to tackle global warming, there is much to recommend it”

+The Spirit Level suggests

  Rather than having more redistributive taxes and benefits and through a large welfare state?

  Aim to manage to achieve low levels of inequality before taxes and benefits, e.g. Japan.

  Primary purpose is to make money or to provide a service while remaining economically viable.

  In poorer countries, economic development continues to be very important for human wellbeing.

+UNDP – Asia Pacific Human Development Report 2012

“In Asia and the Pacific, around 30 per cent of emissions come from agriculture, including emissions from growing crops and raising livestock, land use changes and deforestation.

The principal greenhouse gases are nitrous oxide, especially from the use of fertilizers; methane from live- stock and rice

production; …”

  Need greener opportunities in agriculture

+UNDP – Asia Pacific Human Development Report 2012 (con’t)

“At present, rural communities get relatively little support in terms of funds or services; for example, they find it difficult to market goods if they do not have all-weather roads and often

do not have reliable and accurate knowledge of climate-related issues.”

+Proposal to the Rotary community

  Support rural development through sponsorship

  Support more vocational training in the agriculture sector

  Focus on sustainable organic farming practice

  Or simply coordinate and buy more organic produces

+About the Organic Industry

  It is not new but is growing rapidly with a good prospect   “Business aspect of the organic industry”

  It is a green industry and is a good balance between economic development and environment protection.

  It requires new technology and methodology

  It needs young creative entrepreneurs and knowledgeable participants

  It creates jobs and vocational training

  It recreates community development and bio-diversity

  It provides good quality food for public to consume.

  By focus on local consumption, it reduces carbon footprints

+Farming Communities

Communities

Enviroment

Farm

Seeds suppliers

Fertilizer suppliers

Pest Control suppliers

Technology suppliers

Equipment suppliers

Farm workers

Financing

Weather

Water

Intruders

BAD Externalities

GOOD Externalities

Other farmers

Soil

• Buyers • Government

+Value Chain

Upstream Downstream

Inbound Logistics Internal Logistics Outbound Logistics

FarmNational

Distribution Center

Regional Distribution

CenterShops

SupermarketsBuyer / Seller

Collection Grade

Clean Package

Finance Logistic

HR /Training R&D

IT

Bridging the gap and helping the industry to grow

Local

Overseas

Marketing

Fertilzer Pesticide

Water HR /Training

Soil Analysis

Green House

Irrigation System Seeds

Farm equipment Knowhow

+Rotary’s Participation

Subject Focus Area Some Possible Areas for Rotary’s participation

Production Farm Level • Capital financing to farmers • Green house installation • Water management improvement, etc…

R & D Tertiary institutions • Financial support to institutions • Vocational training, etc…

Pest Control Bio-pest control development • R & D support • Capital financing to rural suppliers, etc…

Fertilizers Compost and other organic fertilizers

• R & D support • Capital financing to rural suppliers, etc…

Seeds Seeds bank • R & D support • Seeds bank establish, etc…

Technologies Renewable energy Social media Mobile technologies

• R & D support • Capital financing to rural suppliers • Social internet network for info sharing • Buyer/Seller internet network • Mobile network for instant info, etc….

Logistics Distributive network • Provide logistic support to local NGOs, etc…

Rotarians Buy / Consume • Community Support Agriculture (CSA), etc…

+Rotary’s Participation in the Value Chain

Upstream Downstream

Inbound Logistics Internal Logistics Outbound Logistics

FarmNational

Distribution Center

Regional Distribution

CenterShops

SupermarketsBuyer / Seller

Collection Grade

Clean Package

Finance Logistic

HR /Training R&D

IT

Bridging the gap and helping the industry to grow

Local

Overseas

Marketing

Fertilzer Pesticide

Water HR /Training

Soil Analysis

Green House

Irrigation System Seeds

Farm equipment Knowhow

+ Rotary’s Integrated Community Approach in supporting sustainable farming

Communities

Enviroment

Farm

Seeds suppliers

Fertilizer suppliers

Pest Control suppliers

Technology suppliers

Equipment suppliers

Farm workers

Financing

Weather

Water

Intruders

BAD Externalities

GOOD Externalities

Other farmers

Soil

Buyer / Consumer / Promoter / Sponsors / Community Developer / Trainers

+Summary

  Urge Rotary community to provide more support towards the agriculture sector

  Help create jobs opportunities and entrepreneurship through e.g. micro-financing support

  Help enhance research and technology development in organic development

  Help provide vocational training to young farmers/graduates

  Help facilitate cross-community/cross-border buying/selling and co-operation

  Help create a fair trade market for organic produce

  Help create the “missing link” for technology and knowhow sharing

+Objectives

  Promote develop sustainable rural development through collaboration and cooperation

  Create jobs through supporting the green industry

  Reduce inequality between urban and rural   Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and Self-Realization

  Provide vocational training to younger generations

  Protect our One Planet

  Provide clean and good food for consumption

  Promote mutual understanding, mutual learning

  Promote PEACE

Thank you!