Catching a bus at 5am on a Sunday morning is not my idea of fun. Neither is sitting 5 per aisle or having gospel music powered down at me almost unabated for the duration of a 6 and a half hour trip. I say almost because occasionally the television would switch to a bizaare scene where a man appeared to be being attacked by an invisible deity in the middle of the bush.
The bus was insanely driven for good measure, but the wild open spaces, small thatched houses and great green forests of the Great East Road are beautiful. In the little town of Katete where I arrived, there are more cyclists than cars, so they get right of way.
My job for MTZL is to prove the concept that Zambian cotton farmers could potentially be paid using a voucher system rather than cash. Vouchers linked to farmers would be more secure for our client, who spend a lot of money insuring and physically protecting cash and should also enable us to harness the collective buying power of farmers so that they are offered discounts when they use them.
The objective for my first trip to Zambia's Eastern Province is to negotiate with Agricultural and other retailers to offer discounts if Cotton farmers accept vouchers for their cotton rather than cash. I'm also on the look out for staff to help with the electronic voucher transactions when they start.
Not easy, especially suffering from mild gospel bus trauma.
Kenan and Alex, two people who are key this work have sorted me out with a room and some food. Over chicken and mashed potatoes I thought about Kenan's suggestion of a Farmer focus group - very Civil Service.
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