I’d like to comment not on Kalulu’s criticism itself, but mention a specific solution he proposed here—http://dear-humanity.org/my-intended-solution/ .
My intended solution is: an integrated agro-processing plant that shall both reverse poverty and create jobs in our region, by minimizing post-harvest food loses, creating new market linkages for rural poor farmers, and linking these farmers’ produce with agri-value chains — like bakeries & confectioneries; bottling companies and breweries, etc.
I think Kalulu’s proposal can be described more broadly as improving market access for farmers. Here are some other sources mentioning similar strategies:
Government officials convinced the Coca-Cola Company and TechnoServe executives to build a plant near the orchards. “The company now has a fresher fruit source and a profit center, and growers are able to sell most of what they grow at higher prices in a guaranteed market,”
https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/blog/smallholder-farmers-food-loss-hits/
In a bid to improve the access to markets, we support the development of proven post-harvest management technologies, business models and linkages to farmers, traders, and processors.
https://agra.org/markets-post-harvest-management/
Do you know if interventions focusing on improving market access for farmers were considered and evaluated by any of the EA organizations?
Hi Joel,
Thank you for your response. I definitely agree about the need and usefulness of more high-quality research in the field of well-being, including wellbeing priorities and cost-effectiveness analyses. Has HLI considered taking actions to promote such research, beyond conducting research on your own?
On a related note, I recently came across the Global Flourishing Study (GFS), a $43.4 million initiative which can be found here: https://hfh.fas.harvard.edu/global-flourishing-study. While I haven’t delved into the details of this study, its existence underscores the growing interest in well-being research. Influencing the direction and quality of such research could be incredibly impactful.