A man ahead of his time

Right now, it is considered, there are over seven billion humans crawling on the earth - that’s a lot of mouths to feed.

To sustain them all, we’ve taken 40 per cent of the planet’s total landmass and turned it into cornfields and almond orchards, cattle ranches and orange groves, all to churn out the cereals, produce and meat that feed humanity.

Unfortunately, that’s left us in a bit of a bind. The world population is expected to grow 9.6 billion by 2050 and according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), if we want to avoid mass malnutrition, we’re going to have to up our food production by 70 percent in the next 35 years or so.

The problem is most of the land we can work for food is already being cultivated. The rest is atop mountains, covered by desert sands or in Antarctica - the only potential farmland left would require slashing and burning the world’s remaining rain forests: That means we’re going to have to make some large-scale changes to how we farm.

It’s not impossible. In fact, it’s been done once before in living memory. Few people have heard of Norman Borlaug but, if you’re seeking a revolution in farming, he’s probably the first person you’ll want to look up.

In the mid-1940s, wanting to increase wheat yields in the highlands of south-central Mexico, Borlaug bred several high-yield, disease-resistant strains of semi-dwarf wheat well-suited to Mexico’s mountains.

Farmers who planted Borlaug’s wheat saw yields increase immediately; these gains were especially evident when the crops were planted in soil treated with nitrogen fertilizer - the method caught on quickly, and by 1963 some 95 per cent of Mexico’s wheat crop was Borlaug’s dwarf wheat. Between 1944 (the year Borlaug arrived in Mexico) and 1963, Mexico’s wheat yields sextupled.

Norman Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his contributions to improved farming and increased food production across the world.

Then Borlaug went to South Asia: in the mid-1960s, this part of the world was starving, mostly because the region’s food production couldn’t keep up with its population growth.

Believing he could help, Borlaug began exporting his high-yield wheat to the subcontinent. He eventually moved there, spending 16 years supervising the first few plantings and harvests. The results were tremendous: After just five years, the wheat yields in India and Pakistan had nearly doubled and, by 1974, both countries were self-sufficient in cereal production, and Borlaug’s methods were spreading rapidly to the rest of South Asia and Southeast Asia. Famine had been averted.

But humanity can’t keep coasting on Borlaug’s green revolution - land is now at a premium in a way it wasn’t during Borlaug’s era.

Time has also shown that the revolution was far from perfect; in his quest to feed the world, Borlaug encouraged mono cropping (growing a single crop year after year on the same land, without diversification or rotation) and heavy use of nitrogen fertilizer made from petroleum, both of which can produce massive short-term gains in crop yields but in the long run make the land less fertile.

In addition, Borlaug’s focus on rice, corn and wheat as tools to prevent famine led him to ignore several crops that we now know are even more nutritious and produce even more calories per acre than those three: potatoes and sweet potatoes, for instance.

Think of it as an ‘A’ level challenge

A change in the seasons is nature’s timely reminder to get our house in order and prepare for the next quarter -to embrace the change and make the most of every day.

How much can you achieve before the end of the year? -the real answer is probably more than you think!

Lack of self belief is such a natural default. Coming up with excuses; blaming situations over which you have no influence and denying personal responsibility. In time, this creates a sense of anxiety, anger and frustration which becomes the source of procrastination.

When you believe in yourself you take action and see results. Your confidence grows and achieving your potential becomes an inevitable voyage of discovery.

Three ideas have been suggested to me which may help you get started to build your motivation, improve your confidence and help you to achieve more than you thought possible as though you were about to prepare for your ‘A’ levels::

1. Think of it as a challenge - it’s very easy to carry on doing what you’ve always done working to the mantra ‘If it’s not broken, why fix it?’. But in today’s fast- paced world, that actually means you’re going in reverse.

We naturally reject the notion of pushing the envelope as the inner demon of fear takes over….” What happens if this doesn’t work?” “If I don’t achieve my goal, I’ll look a failure…” There is no single formula for success. Nobody has walked in your shoes before so your path is completely unique. As you set yourself your challenge, recognise that this may involve taking small steps and some learning from others may be required along the way.

Be specific in what you would like to achieve and commit to attaining your goals. Identify and note down a personal best to beat in terms of new business wins, new product developed, amount of product/service delivered. Be bold and ambitious and start taking action right now.

2. Make every day count - it’s widely recognised that successful people have certain routines in common with which they kick-start every day. Rising early and beginning each day with a simple ritual will get you into the right mindset to empower you for greater success.

I’m told that there are many self-help books available on this subject and the choice is quite bewildering. If you are committed to personal development and getting yourself into the right frame of mind, I have been advised to utilise the mindset tools from the best-seller The Miracle Morning: Silence and there would appear to be no time like the present to start effecting positive change in your life.

3. Celebrate success - whenever you reach a benchmark or enjoy a win, be sure to recognise and celebrate each milestone. Recognise and celebrate every success with those who have helped you make it possible.

You may not have climbed Everest or found a solution to end world poverty, but success is a relative term and it’s important to recognise each and every goal you achieve; big or small. Remember, there is no such thing as overnight success and you’re playing the long-game which is why you need to recognise each milestone you’ve achieved in the journey.

Ultimately, you need to take responsibility. Raise your standards and identify the minimum you will accept in your life ie, Get out of your own way and believe in the unbelievable…

Local improvements

It can be quite confusing to many that there are so many funding initiatives which may be available for community projects.

Grant applications which provide investment funding for a wide range of activities to help meet local needs and strengthen communities so that they can grow and thrive are presently being looked at in relation to the Rural Community Development Fund (RCDF).

Funding is primarily being directed towards LEADER Local Action Groups and other community-based organizations where support is aimed at drawing up of community/village development plans, investments in small scale infrastructure including renewable energy, investments in ICT, including broadband and digital inclusion, improving access to services such as childcare, rural transport and financial advice and also investments in recreational, tourist infrastructure and activities to improve health and quality of life.

In order to progress any scheme, expressions of interest must be given before completing the appropriate criteria and Welsh Government application forms.

Best medicine

An elderly Scotsman goes into a chemist shop. He says to the assistant - I have a headache, have you any aspirin. Certainly sir, she replies. Would you like 50 or 100. No, the Scotsman says, just the one. I’ve only got one headache.