MoB Capital Pvt Ltd

Registered Microfinance Institution

IT is called the year of the pig on the Chinese calendar. The pig symbolises wealth and a well cleaned up animal. Wealth or personal financial hygiene is based on the individual attitude.

Back in the day in barren Hwange, my widowed granny AmaLiza had to eke a living from the sandy soils in a drought period.

She employed a lot of simple strategies to keep going in anticipation of better fortunes to come in the following years.

Here are some of strategies with some having a modern twist to them.

 

Jack of all trade

Be all but be master of all.

She kept goats, ducks, cattle, cats, dogs, and pigs. We had a market garden and the maize field. She had that all round wisdom on all concerns.

That was amazing and intriguing to a young lad like me.

The need to be an Indian shop is now.

You just do everything and nothing to survive without pride. Be everything to anyone that wants a product or a service. You just owe it to your children.

Group of four

Identity four partners

Legal advisor — a legal mind in the group of four ( G4)

Financial Advisor — financial fundi.

At least one person has to have a big yard house, a plot or a farm

An ownership of a good truck among the members will be an added advantage as G4 tries to navigate the new economic landscape.

She had three partners to work with in the area.

Those were her comrades in arms for economical survival, confidantes and support systems all year round and she never changed these acquaintances until she changed coordinates.

Crowdfunding

Most of the transactions are taken care of by crowdfunding from G4 members.

My granny’s homestead was funded by her children and grandchildren and times other well-wishers who would donate agricultural implements and services.

AmaLiza’s children pooled resources to modernise her homestead which the G4 can utilise to raise money and fund one member at a time.

Mostly she utilitises the other two friends to achieve the means to an end.

Import of basic commodities

Pool resources together and buy as a team all basic commodities from other countries and come and share. It helps stabilise local prices.

Where it’s local, approach wholesalers and buy cost effectively then eventually share.

My grandmother practiced mixed farming at the homestead.

There was food integrity at the homestead come rain or sunshine despite the Mikamba area having rain deficits for most years.

Farming activities

Cattle ranching on a small scale for meat, lobola (for her sons) and food [sour milk (amasi)].

A strategic alliance would be to keep goats, sheep and pigs and do it yourself and where you can go beyond personal consumption be bold and create more revenue streams for the G4.

Chicken makhaya play a crucial role in food and cash flow management the same applies to goats which in a way schooled us and helped with cash flows.

Barter trade

AmaLiza would barter her donkeys’ draught power with grain, chickens for goats, cattle tilling for small grains etc.

It is now considered smart to barter your services or excess to requirements with stuff you need.

Get value from excesses.

Cattle buying

If land and resources are not adequate pool resources together and buy one beast every two months and share the carcass.

Cost effective and user friendly.

This isn’t necessarily a business to buy and sell cattle.

Rear your own chicken makhaya and broilers just enough for personal consumption for the four families.

While at it, do home nutritional gardens to produce your own vegetables all year round and any excess take it to the market and earn some income.

Food preservations

AmaLiza could literally preserve anything on foodstuffs.

Any excess horticulture produce and livestock carcasses can be preserved.

Making biltong, drying vegetables and some excesses or waste was used as raw materials for animals or other projects.

Even wild fruits were preserved for us to have food all year round. We are back to that rural business acumen for survival.

Mostly she utilitises the other two friends to achieve the means to an end.

Import of basic commodities

Pool resources together and buy as a team all basic commodities from other countries and come and share. It helps stabilise local prices.

Where it’s local, approach wholesalers and buy cost effectively then eventually share.

My grandmother practiced mixed farming at the homestead.

There was food integrity at the homestead come rain or sunshine despite the Mikamba area having rain deficits for most years.

Farming activities

Cattle ranching on a small scale for meat, lobola (for her sons) and food [sour milk (amasi)].

A strategic alliance would be to keep goats, sheep and pigs and do it yourself and where you can go beyond personal consumption be bold and create more revenue streams for the G4.

Chicken makhaya play a crucial role in food and cash flow management the same applies to goats which in a way schooled us and helped with cash flows.
Barter trade

AmaLiza would barter her donkeys’ draught power with grain, chickens for goats, cattle tilling for small grains etc.

It is now considered smart to barter your services or excess to requirements with stuff you need.

Get value from excesses.

Cattle buying

If land and resources are not adequate pool resources together and buy one beast every two months and share the carcass.

Cost effective and user friendly.

This isn’t necessarily a business to buy and sell cattle.

Rear your own chicken makhaya and broilers just enough for personal consumption for the four families.

While at it, do home nutritional gardens to produce your own vegetables all year round and any excess take it to the market and earn some income.

Food preservations

AmaLiza could literally preserve anything on foodstuffs.

Any excess horticulture produce and livestock carcasses can be preserved.

Making biltong, drying vegetables and some excesses or waste was used as raw materials for animals or other projects.

Even wild fruits were preserved for us to have food all year round. We are back to that rural business acumen for survival.

Consumerism

She was a shrewd lady when it came to buying livestock, negotiations during lobola proceedings, cunning when it came to selling.

Demanding fair prices for your inputs and where there is excesses the need to charge fair prices is encouraged.

Lobby for policies that protect consumers in your G4 cabal as my granny fought for campfire participation given we were in a rich game reserve.

Hope is key

Above all, my granny was hopeful and had a positive infectious attitude despite her being widowed.

She was bubbly and looked for a silver lining on most issues and that was the attitude that kept her going through tough times.

She never complained and she was hands on despite her being a woman.

Even now I still remember her smile and her Nambya teaching “ka Morrie wezha igamu” literal translation “little Morris we welcome everyone despite our circumstances” thus the spirit of being accommodative at all times despite difficult times.

It’s the year to protect the vulnerable.

Thanks to my granny some of the strategies are applicable in 2019.

Wishing you a year full of opportunities, hope and smart social contract dialogues in your business and personal lives.

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