What if removing middlemen can kill over 60 percent of food markets? Middlemen are often blamed for reaping off farmers and consumers. However, most of the criticism is based on poor understanding of how markets function and the gaps closed by middlemen. All markets have unique ways of assigning roles to different actors. If middlemen Read more about What if removing middlemen can kill over 60 percent of food markets?[…]

Impact of commodity shrinkage and other market dynamics on African farmers Shrinking refers to cases where commodities become dry, thin and weak or dead due to loss of water. However, African food systems face diverse kinds of shrinkage due to several factors. In fact, shrinkage accounts for more food losses than the conventional notion of post-harvest Read more about Impact of commodity shrinkage and other market dynamics on African farmers[…]

Long-term planning informed by entrepreneurship can get rid of land barons The rise of land barons has become an enduring trend and topic in many agriculture-driven African economies over the past few years. In fact, this trend has grown to the extent that in Zimbabwe there are more than five types of land barons.  Increase Read more about Long-term planning informed by entrepreneurship can get rid of land barons[…]

What would African countries do without people’s mass food markets? Known as people’s markets or territorial markets in some African countries, Mass food markets have remained unsung heroes in African countries for several reasons. Besides ensuring diverse and affordable food for the majority of rural and urban consumers, these markets represent a unique expression of Read more about What would African countries do without people’s mass food markets?[…]

The unknown side of food processing and value addition in African countries There is no shortage of abandoned small to medium scale food processing plants in many African countries. After getting into a community and seeing abundant tomatoes, mangoes, pine apples and many other types of fruits, some development agencies and government departments have been Read more about The unknown side of food processing and value addition in African countries[…]

Embracing equity and dismantling power imbalances in African food systems Besides focusing on climate change, development organizations, private sector players and governments are increasingly being compelled to embrace equity, inclusion, decolonization of knowledge and dismantling of power imbalances. This new narrative is beginning to shape new development pathways including African food systems and upholding indigenous Read more about Embracing equity and dismantling power imbalances in African food systems[…]

Desperate for knowledge and action that will take them to the promised land – case of young Africans Poor economic performance over the past few years has seen tensions between the old and young generations in Africa rising to boiling point. This has been worsened by the fact that most African governments have continued to Read more about Desperate for knowledge and action that will take them to the promised land – case of young Africans[…]

Whose role is it to convert natural resources into decent employment? The past few years have seen many African countries increasing emphasis on entrepreneurship development through formal education systems like universities. This has triggered a huge expectation for young people like university graduates to create their own employment using natural resources such as land, water Read more about Whose role is it to convert natural resources into decent employment?[…]

Poor coordination makes it difficult to see where African food systems are going Even when sufficient funding is made available, African countries may fail to feed themselves and produce excess food for exporting in a consistent manner.  A major reason for this predicament is disorganized and uncoordinated food systems.  In most cases, markets have no Read more about Poor coordination makes it difficult to see where African food systems are going[…]

Pathways for repurposing resources are long overdue in developing countries Private property laws that many African countries adopted from colonialism have had both positive and negative aspects. One positive is that privatization of property has encouraged investors to make long-term investments in infrastructure and other developments that create reliable employment. On the negative side, once Read more about Pathways for repurposing resources are long overdue in developing countries[…]