BARTER TRADE

by David Nuttle

In most developing nations there are large population groups socially, economically, and politically isolated from the nations where they reside. Nearly all of these peoples live with no credit or cash. They obtain what they need using barter trade. These populations need to be made a part of the global economy to make them less vulnerable to manipulation by the terrorist, narco-terrorist, jihadist, criminal, and/or insurgent groups in their areas.

I have lived and worked in several areas with such isolated populations using barter trade to acquire basic needs. In the process of such work, I observed that most of these people had valuable trade goods that could be traded on an international basis if a global means of barter trade was created. As an example, a Somali tribal group I worked with used myrrh resin for barter trade. Since Biblical times, this unique resin has sold for about the price of gold. Tribal members collected the myrrh resin needed from an ancient Myrrh plantation in Kenya along the border with Somalia. My estimate was that this plantation was about 3,000 acres of beautiful desert Myrrh trees with a protective waxy coating on the trunks, branches, and leaves. Almost all of the barter populations have one or more valuable items used in their barter trade.

To make global barter trade successful a barter trade center is needed to coordinate trade items available from subject populations and industries or entities in need of such items. As an example, I arranged a trade of Neem seeds in exchange for wheat. A tribe in Sudan had surplus seeds they typically collected for local Neem trees to make an insect repellant. The W. R. Grace Company purchased and shipped the wheat needed for the trade and received a large shipment of Neem seeds to make a Neem-based insect repellant for U. S. and E. U. sales. I estimate that thousands of such trades are possible.

Global barter trade is needed and a great venture yet to happen!!