This is all the more so as, in future, sovereigns will no longer be around to rescue banks in an emergency with taxpayers’ money. This is due to the new “bail-in” rules for shareholders and creditors and to the new European resolution mechanism which will take effect in 2016.
There is evidence from agricultural projects that if smallholder farmers are given advice on the adoption of good agricultural practices, such as better seeds, optimal crop spacing, weeding, post-harvest handling etc, substantial increases in yields per acre can be achieved, even without the application of purchased inputs such as fertilisers. This would allow farmers to produce more marketable surplus and thereby generate cash incomes.