By Joshua Kato
For the last two years, people including farmers, have been receiving funds under the Parish Development Model (PDM).
Each recipient gets sh1m and invests in an enterprise of their choice. PDM was touted as a possible game changer in the agriculture sector.
Indeed, a number of people have invested in agriculture, including crops, livestock and value addition. However, a random survey indicates that there is no cohesion in the buying of these enterprises. For example, in a parish with 100 beneficiaries, it would have been more beneficial if they engaged in the same/common activity in order to benefit from the economies of scale.
If, for example, 100 farmers invested the money in poultry or piggery, this will create a cluster of production, knowledge sharing and easy marketability.
However, it has been established that each of the farmers is engaging in different activities. While one buys coffee seedlings, another buys a cow or pig while others plant beans.
At the end of the day, each will produce something. But in isolation! There is no knowledge sharing because there is nothing common in the enterprises and this isolation means that sustainability is almost impossible.
Perhaps PDM should have been organised in such way that clusters of common production were created before the funds were disbursed. This can still be done.
