VRDG:Economic

[Guest guest]

Haribol prabhus

pamho agtsp

 

Starting from the bottom up devotees need to look at or gain some

assistance in gauging how much they need to live on and what level of

produce constitutes adequate profits. If forming co-ops we need to look

closely as cherished branding and quality assurance. In addition to straight

marketing, economic development can not only need a direct farming skills

audit but a skills audit of the wider community, especially for economic

development. We need to look at three levels of development inter-linked in

a rural/vaishnava economic base. These are the direct farming families, the

supporting and developing community and the temple needs. Farming or rural

development families need to make their living from the land but a rural

development plan must allow for those who will not be land owners etc. The

theme of rural sustainability needs to incorporate so much more. Therefore

a wider skills audit will give you the cottage craft, marketers, processors

etc that we need to really but sustainable rural communities, as well as

individual rural farming families. The temple needs have to seriously be

taken into consideration. Therefore the partnership has to be examined

carefully. They should take devotee produced crops etc., but they should

also not be expected to take only produce in payment. There has to be a

balance otherwise the temple becomes the EU intevention programme. It's a

delicate balance of looking at temple economic viability which is

streamlined and interlinked to devotee production & support. This will be

the best solution.

 

Regarding equal/fair employment I think the plan has to account for

localised legislation and can only really set it's own standards for barter.

EU law is very strict regarding pay, conditions, employment etc. There is

always a sense of family when thinking of devotee plans. They are sometimes

utopian. But look at the best families when money and property are involved

and then you see how easy it is to go wrong. So the VRDP should reflect good

practice with clarity and be mindful of what can happen regarding

employment, volunteer labour, work conditions and the marketing of produce

all of which are heavily regulated now.

 

As for pensions, I think that if set up for group schemes, or co-ops or

charitable purposes, you can get good deals.In northern ireland we have a

joint charities scheme because working in the voluntary sector/NGO's is not

(supposedly) not as steady as the private/public sector. Pensions are not a

problem. Regulations apply for stakeholder pensions about 5 employees here

in the UK.These are the more straight forward things, if participants want

to go that way.

ys