Category: eMKambo

Making sense of wealth distribution in the new networked economy

Posted on by eMKambo

Just as they distribute commodities and knowledge to all classes of people and income levels, informal markets in developing countries continue to play a central role in redistributing wealth. African economies have traditionally been characterized and driven by community knowledge sharing and individual innovation. While individual innovation was privatized, local ideas were shared through the Read more about Making sense of wealth distribution in the new networked economy[…]

The evolving role of smart intermediaries in African agriculture

Posted on by eMKambo

While digital technology is threatening to diminish the role of intermediaries in African agriculture, there are signs that smart intermediaries will be around for some time. Although it is spreading connectivity among farmers, traders, consumers and policy makers, digital technology will always need people who translate services between value chains actors, most of whom may Read more about The evolving role of smart intermediaries in African agriculture[…]

When is a disadvantage actually an advantage?

Posted on by eMKambo

If it was true that more resources always lead to better results, African communities in high rainfall areas and favorable climatic conditions would be the richest and happier than everyone else. Development organizations and policy makers are slowly awakening to the reality that dumping resources on communities does not guarantee a beneficial end. For instance, Read more about When is a disadvantage actually an advantage?[…]

Using evidence to connect with a bigger purpose

Posted on by eMKambo

In their pursuit for survival, most value chain actors in developing countries do not clarify their contribution to a big purpose like economic growth.  For instance, instead of seeing how their work contributes to national food and nutrition security, most farmers and manufacturers tend to be interested in the colour of the money. That is Read more about Using evidence to connect with a bigger purpose[…]

Price as an outcome of negotiations between diverse market actors

Posted on by eMKambo

African agriculture is one of the most misunderstood ecosystems, especially by investors and development organizations. There is a persistent tendency to force smallholder farmers into contract agreements when most of them have made up their mind about the pros and cons of such agreements. While informal markets continue to carry the day, investors, development actors Read more about Price as an outcome of negotiations between diverse market actors[…]

The power of an end to end view of agricultural value chains

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Very few actors in African agriculture can see the entire value chain and its nodes. As a result, production activities continue to be based on guesswork. In most cases, some traders who have been in the marketing game for a long time have more knowledge about the value chain than farmers.  Many traders often pre-finance Read more about The power of an end to end view of agricultural value chains[…]

When data and evidence become currency

Posted on by eMKambo

Most of the information disseminated to African smallholder farmers and rural marginalized entrepreneurs is barely enough for progressive decision making. In most cases where price information for a particular commodity is provided, critical details are missing and these include diverse sources of the commodity, levels of competition, demand cycles and the type of people who Read more about When data and evidence become currency[…]

How the market can convert agricultural commodities into career pipelines

Posted on by eMKambo

Besides climate change and environmental degradation, a major challenge facing many African rural communities is migration of skills and talent to urban centres. There is no price for guessing who wins in the competition for talent between rural and urban communities. Building rural agricultural markets is one way of converting agricultural commodities and value chains Read more about How the market can convert agricultural commodities into career pipelines[…]

How niche markets influence agricultural commodity prices

Posted on by eMKambo

One of the most persistent myths in African agriculture is that commodity prices are set by traders, negatively referred to as ‘middlemen’. Paying lip service to understanding market dynamics has seen most interventions designed to get rid of ‘middlemen’ failing dismally. Working with agriculture markets for the past years has opened eMKambo’s eyes to the Read more about How niche markets influence agricultural commodity prices[…]