THE SUSTAINABLE Rice Platform (SRP) is a global initiative to ensure the continuing supply of rice worldwide forever, so to speak.
What is unique about the platform is that they are purposely bringing together all the players in the rice supply chain, meaning to say not only the producers and the consumers, but also the researchers, the traders and the advocates of this particular cause.
As I see it, this is the way how it should be done, this way of doing it through the supply chain approach, and coupling it with a holistic framework.
Having liked this approach and framework so much, I decided to create a pneumonic device for it. The device is an acronym for consumers, organizations, producers, policy makers, entrepreneurs, researchers and societies (COPPERS).
To some extent, I actually took some poetic license in creating the pneumonic device, because “organizations” would mean non-government organizations (NGOs), entrepreneurs would mean businessmen in general and traders in particular, and societies would mean “civil society”, inclusive of all advocates and activists, so to speak.
There might be some redundancies here because many NGOs are also civil society players, but never mind that, because it is better to have all bases covered. What is important here is that all players are included, meaning to say that no one is left out.
By the way, for purposes of this pneumonic device, “policy makers” would include both the Legislative Branch and the Executive Branch.
Don’t get me wrong, because as I see it, the COPPERS device could also be used for all aspects of human life in general, and for all aspects of good governance in particular, meaning to say that it is not just for rice sustainability.
What is important to note here is that governance is a two-sided process that should include not only the structured government, but also the governed, the people who are represented by the civil society.
As simple as it sounds, it should be made clear that the basic premise here is that both sides of the governance equation are talking to each other, in other words they are coordinating and communicating. In much simpler terms, that should mean that they are always meeting, either online or in person.
In a manner of speaking, it could be said that the people who are using social networking sites and mobile apps are actually always meeting with each other, either via chat, video conferences, instant messaging, net meetings or whatever you might want to call it.
For all intents and purposes, it could be said that what used to be called “teleconferences” could now also be done via online and mobile means, in means that are better and cheaper, perhaps even faster. (To be continued)/PN
