And on a global scale...

Most notably, one of the farmers featured in this article from the New York Times saved $300 in a year -- more than twice his annual salary. Whether it's a homestead mentality or the mentality of those in the developing world and/or immigrants, clearly saving is the way to financial stability. Here's an except:

“Part of the good news is that the Dunavants and the Cargills will be in Africa for a long time,” says John Baffes, an economist and cotton analyst at the World Bank. “Those guys are willing to invest a lot of money and to buy in good years and bad years.”

In parts of Africa where farmers have been rocked by instability of various sorts — from H.I.V. to civil war to abusive, government-run farm corporations — consistency is a welcome virtue. “For Africans who have struggled with globalization,” Mr. Baffes added, “this is a validation.”

IN his small shop, Mr. Okelo knows nothing of global developments in the cotton trade even though he is a direct beneficiary of them. He started farming during the lean years in Uganda, after the ouster of the country’s notorious dictator, Idi Amin, when the cultivation of cotton lagged so badly that production nearly ceased and farmers treated the crop like a weed.

A few years ago, as Uganda’s production began to revive, Dunavant’s trainers taught Mr. Okelo to grow cotton in straight rows and to use a string to measure precisely the distance between rows, to maximize plantings. Mr. Okelo’s new methods are basic, but in a part of Africa where farmers work the land chiefly with a hoe — and tractors, fertilizer and pesticides are rarities — even basic improvements can lead to large gains in production.

“Cotton is the crop that gives farmers the best money,” Mr. Okelo said. “I want Dunavant to be even closer to me.”

I have marked Dunavant and Cargill as companies to investigate for investment purposes; I like the fact that they are supporting thousands of small farmers in Africa. If only our society still supported small farms!