In both countries, problems in land use and land tenure have to be solved in order to benefit the poor, otherwise they have no option but to consume the available natural resources. Ours are predominantly agricultural economies. Our development has to be bio-industrial rather than industrial. Both countries have done well in agriculture by combining high productivity and low diversity supported by high agricultural inputs. The future, however, lies in combining high productivity with high diversity backed by renewable and biodegradable inputs to make agriculture sustainable.
Halting pollution is yet another challenge.
Inland water bodies and coastal areas have been treated as dumping grounds. We have to adopt realistic environmental standards and clean industrial technologies, including a phased program of control of automobile pollution as well as clean transport and mining systems. Extravagant use of oil has to be cut to save foreign exchange for developmental priorities. The challenge of economic transformation will mean that only the annual increment in the renewable resource base must be used, leaving the capital intact. The depletion of natural resources is not to be treated as income but cost.