Economic Opportunity Mailing List Archive

["Dick Tinsley" <<address removed>>]

Another area where the Development Hierarchy comes into play is environmental 
sustainability.  I do not question the importance of this issue and noted some 
people were interesting in increasing the discussion on the issue.

However, the concern originates very much at the top of the hierarchy as a 
donor agenda. It is well supported by the implementer and accepted by the 
clients.  However, it is well outside the basic survival concerns of the 
beneficiaries that ultimately have to accept the concerns.

At this point it interacts with what I normally refer to as the "economic time 
frame".  That is how far into the future you are able to project.  For most of 
us that is sufficiently far so to expect a comfortable life, peaceful 
retirement and eventually a quiet departure surrounded by loving family members.

For may smallholders eking their subsistence living from the limited lands they 
have the means to manage, their economic time frame will contract to perhaps a 
cropping season or year at most.   In this case any effort to assist them has 
to be with returns that can be obtained within their economic time frame. 
Anything with returns outside the economic time frame they will not be 
interested in as they can not project the benefits being suitable for them.  If 
you are interested in promoting conservation practices that will improve the 
long term sustainability of their land but require some sacrifice in the short 
term. It is a tough sell. The short term is just too critical.

With regards to concept economic time frame the best illustration would be:

A young women with 3 children at home and husband who as taken off for other 
pastures.  She come to the rest house for the evening and someone is willing to 
pay for her companionship but does not like protective measures.  With 
starvation for herself and her children 2 weeks away and HIV/AIDS a couple 
years away, what is a poor women to do?  Promoting prevention may not be the 
big issue.

Dick Tinsley