THE EDITOR: Many people today are subdividing their land mostly on paper in the hope of making some money by selling lots. In some cases – likely not the majority – they are able to produce whole subdivisions but for most of them this takes a very long time.

As just a way of making money, this is using up land unjustifiably. Money can be made instead by a shared investment in crops – share-cropping. This is a particularly good idea for larger parcels of land that are harder to work up without overshooting costs.

The owner of the land who cannot afford the time and doesn't have the finances to do extensive planting and harvesting can commit the land in a common venture with someone who can supply the money, time and added efforts.

I would not necessarily sow huge acreages in a single crop; rather, put multiple sections of the same and different crops that are harvested independently of each other and in succession. Share-cropping like this can offer spaces for regeneration of lands in cycles. And risks are spread and so more muted.

Obviously you want a trustworthy farmer who doesn't disdain labour and risk, and who does not have dishonest aims of trying to take over the land. On the one hand the owner wants a good return for the usage of the land; on the other the investing farmer wants to justify his financial output in terms of seed and equipment, as well as labour for sowing, reaping and maintaining.

I am interested in such a venture and please feel free to contact me, undersigned.

Another practical consideration is that yes, there is a lot of distrust out there and understandably so. What I can say at this point is business is meant to be based on the parties alone themselves and on freedom of contract with no coercion, no unstated intents, no secret authority, no artificial driving up costs, etc.

Should you take an interest in doing business with me, it must be on such foundations.

E GALY

egaly@hotmail.co.uk

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