By Hallam Hope
Finding development funds for social projects can be a huge hurdle. That’s because grant funding is on the decline, especially for a small Caribbean island like Barbados, which has worked hard to provide social services to its people.
One would expect that hard work is rewarded. But in the world of development of states the countries that do better are relegated from the group of states in need of funding.
This has been very much the case for Barbados, where health services are still essentially free of cost and education, though costlier in recent years, is still affordable to children and teenagers.
As incomes have declined since the economic crisis of 2008 with less money available from Government individual entrepreneurs have sprung up looking to earn a living from health-related products which could aid people stricken with cancer and diabetes, to name a few.
A study I led with a small grant found in 2013 there was a demand for organic food and Barbadians would be willing to pay a bit more based on the expectation that organic produce supports a healthier lifestyle.
But there is a challenge for the Organic Growers and Consumers Association (OGCA). A lack of productive capacity. Simply put, there are not enough organic farmers producing the quantities of local vegetables and other produce to meet demand.
Farmers face many challenges from limited capital to sustaining farms or plots of land in times of climate change where more floods and rainfall are coupled with long periods of inadequate rainfall.
In tougher economic times not only is food security a national issue but there is also a need to eat healthier as diabetes and cancer are prime reasons for death.
A month ago I received a small grant of just over US$3,000 from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDPs) Small Grants Fund to prepare a project which would train more young people in farming and business, assist in the development of a co-operative involving experienced and young farmers and provide some capacity in the form of equipment, a nursery and possibly a crop dryer.
A challenge I have found is the UNDP looks for Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to part financé projects. For example project management which is critical to any project succeeding.
To cut a long story short I got involved in Crypto Currency investment in small amounts about a month and a half ago to see whether I could make some money to pay for project management. A strange approach you would say since people are told they should only invest what they are prepared to lose given the high volatility associated with Crypto Currency.
But desperate times call for desperate measures.
Which brings me to Steem. Having been trained internationally in journalism and managing a marketing and public relations consultancy, writing is one of my main passions. I have been writing for years, sometimes being paid and other times not.
So I am hoping Steem will provide a window for me to enjoy what I like and possibly earn some money for the project management required to make a success of the farming project.
Steem has a lot of potential as a strongly community-oriented Crypto project and might just be one avenue to assist with my other dream of enhancing food security in my tiny, beautiful Caribbean tourist destination of Barbados.