How agriculture markets are more than just memorizing facts and figures

Posted on May 2, 2016May 3, 2016 by eMKambo

A close look at informal agriculture markets across Africa shows they thrive on implicit knowledge that cannot be manipulated through software or codified into a manual. Cooperation is the default behaviour rather than competition. Robust information is shared even between actors who are supposed to be furious competitors. Peers are more influential than experts. That Read more about How agriculture markets are more than just memorizing facts and figures[…]

Principles of demand-driven agricultural practice

Posted on April 25, 2016 by eMKambo

A significant portion of billions of dollars that have gone into agriculture in developing countries have been absorbed by supply-driven information systems. With each organisation beating its own drum, tons of publications, videos, manuals and websites continue to be produced. All these are directed at telling farmers what to do and how to do it. Read more about Principles of demand-driven agricultural practice[…]

How digital technology purifies demand and experiences through agriculture markets

Posted on April 18, 2016April 22, 2016 by eMKambo

Given the disparate nature of smallholder production in developing countries, it is often very difficult for buyers, development actors and policy makers to get an accurate sense of the scale and demand for agricultural services including inputs. Equally difficult is estimating the volume of commodities that can be consistently supplied to the market by a Read more about How digital technology purifies demand and experiences through agriculture markets[…]

Farmers and traders with diversified sources of information are more successful

Posted on April 11, 2016 by eMKambo

In many developing countries, farmers who diversify their sources of information and knowledge are more successful than those who rely on fewer sources. These are some of the issues, eMKambo has uncovered through social listening and sentiment analysis in farming communities and agriculture markets. Another critical observation is that farmers and agricultural organisations struggle with Read more about Farmers and traders with diversified sources of information are more successful[…]

Surfacing the shared identity of crop and livestock production in African agriculture

Posted on April 4, 2016 by eMKambo

While the relationship between crop and livestock production seems obvious to some people, a lot of lessons are hidden in how these commodities are marketed in many African countries. In almost every African country, where there are people’s agriculture markets, the horticulture and field crops market is relatively more consistent and dynamic than the livestock Read more about Surfacing the shared identity of crop and livestock production in African agriculture[…]

Making knowledge needs visible through agricultural markets

Posted on March 28, 2016 by eMKambo

One of the biggest challenges besetting African smallholder agriculture is the fact that agricultural knowledge is invisible. By looking at a farmer or a trader, you cannot tell what knowledge these people possess or need. Two farmers can pass each other in the market, one possessing the solution to a problem that is taxing the Read more about Making knowledge needs visible through agricultural markets[…]

African countries grappling with practical aspects of food loss

Posted on March 21, 2016 by eMKambo

Last week agricultural experts from across Africa and Western countries gathered in Harare, Zimbabwe to design strategies for reducing food losses affecting African smallholder Agriculture. The event was convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Participants heard that Sub-Saharan Africa loses grain valued at US$4 billion annually, enough to feed Read more about African countries grappling with practical aspects of food loss[…]

To what extent are food vendors an extension of African agriculture?

Posted on March 14, 2016March 18, 2016 by eMKambo

A big picture of African agriculture cannot emerge without analysing the role of food vendors. In almost every African country, food vendors have a distinct position between the market and end-users or consumers. The free dictionary (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vending ) defines vending as engaging in selling or supplying a product/service to a business for a fee. In Read more about To what extent are food vendors an extension of African agriculture?[…]