The EconBlogger Project

Aayat Hafezjee In this blog I will examine the government’s sudden shift to organic farming, its disruption of agricultural production including crop failures and food shortages. Sri Lanka became the first nation to require 100% organic farming in 2021 when the government passed one of the most drastic agricultural reforms with a nationwide ban on synthetic pesticides and fertilisers. The policy caused a serious agricultural crisis even though its goal was to establish Sri Lanka as a global leader in sustainable agriculture. Crop yields fell, food prices skyrocketed, and the economy, which was already precarious due to the Covid-19 pandemic, started to fall apart in a matter of months. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, an economist, said, "It was a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater." Background Info and Why the Policy was implemented President Gotabaya Rajapaks is the one who pushed for organic farming to be introduced under the banner of health and environmental sust...

Aayat Hafezjee   In Part 1 of this blog series, we explored why GDP per capita is an imperfect and often misleading measure of living standards in Nigeria. We saw how it overlooks income inequality, informal employment, and access to essential public services. However, this does not mean that GDP per capita is without value. On the contrary, when used alongside other indicators and interpreted with caution, it can still offer useful insights into aspects of a country’s economic performance.   In this second part, we will discuss when GDP per capita is helpful, how it can complement other measures, and why a more holistic approach is needed to truly understand living standards in Nigeria.       When Is GDP Per Capita Useful?   Despite its well-documented flaws, GDP per capita remains a useful tool , if interpreted with caution and used in the correct context:   GDP per capita helps track trends in macroeconomics . For example, Nigeria’s GDP per capi...