Category: Agricultural Markets

Why we need a healthy handshake between numbers and intuitions

Posted on by

Due to the hype surrounding Big Data, there is a temptation for economic planners in developing countries to over-depend on quantitative data (numbers) at the expense of qualitative data (stories). There are many valid reasons why economic planners should not ignore local intuitions that offer a better interpretation of what is beyond the data (numbers). Read more about Why we need a healthy handshake between numbers and intuitions[…]

Making sense of invisible advantages in rural African communities

Posted on by

Many rural African communities have seen development programmes and business models come and go. What has kept these communities alive is their invisible advantages in the form of local culture. A community’s culture is basically a collection of unwritten rules, norms and values that influence people’s behavior. The fact that these are unwritten rules makes Read more about Making sense of invisible advantages in rural African communities[…]

ANALYSIS:What has gone wrong with the groundnut market in Zimbabwe?

Posted on by eMKambo

Groundnut has traditionally been a famous cash cow in Zimbabwe. Many Cabinet ministers, captains of industry, academics and bankers can testify to have gone to school because their parents were able to raise school fees through groundnut production and marketing. From those who knew him, the founder of Zimbabwe’s largest poultry company Irvine’s Day Old Read more about ANALYSIS:What has gone wrong with the groundnut market in Zimbabwe?[…]

The joys and benefits of learning directly from plants and animals.

Posted on by

In spite of the current obsession with formal learning approaches where people are encouraged to learn from each other, many African farmers remain convinced they can learn more from plants and animals. That is how, over generations, they have acquired knowledge from plant and animal medicines. Every rainy season provides farmers and every curious person Read more about The joys and benefits of learning directly from plants and animals.[…]

What makes informal institutions superior at embedding Knowledge!

Posted on by

Where formal organizations try to store their knowledge in the form of corporate processes and procedures, informal institutions like people’s agriculture markets pack their knowledge into routines and memorable metaphors. For many generations, the majority of African communities have thrived on knowledge condensed into idioms, metaphors and routines.  This way of dealing with knowledge has Read more about What makes informal institutions superior at embedding Knowledge![…]

Some of the reasons why small grains continue to resist winner take all commercialization

Posted on by

From Mali to Zimbabwe and South Africa to Southern Sudan, small grains remain an integral part of mainstream local food systems.  There are many reasons why small grains continue to pack a huge socio-economic punch in many countries.  To revisit and stimulate a frank discussion on the power of small grains, eMKambo has just completed Read more about Some of the reasons why small grains continue to resist winner take all commercialization[…]

The hybrid nature of most African economies

Posted on by eMKambo

Most African economies are often presented as being dual, comprising the formal and informal economy. However, in real practice the two parts function as a hybrid economy which borrows from the two parts. Nowhere is this scenario more visible than in the agriculture sector where there is a fusion of formal and informal approaches all Read more about The hybrid nature of most African economies[…]

Silent and health competition in African fresh food markets

Posted on by eMKambo

A few years ago, it appeared supermarkets were the only place where consumers would find fresh fruits and vegetables in African cities. The situation has changed dramatically.  Armed with new food safety knowledge and insights from consumers, informal and open fresh food markets have become preferred destinations for the majority of consumers. Imported fruits and Read more about Silent and health competition in African fresh food markets[…]

Lessons from how farmers view wealth creation as a holistic system

Posted on by eMKambo

Although there is a tendency to treat the majority of African smallholder farmers as passive recipients of external information and knowledge, they are very good at learning from their experiences. In Zimbabwe, eMKambo has discovered that farming communities and individual farmers contribute to the national knowledge base more than they will ever know. They have Read more about Lessons from how farmers view wealth creation as a holistic system[…]

Taming agricultural value chains through data and evidence

Posted on by eMKambo

Many people who grew up in African communities practicing mixed farming, remember how taming young bulls or steers into a span of oxen was not easy. The situation was the same with taming a cow to milk it when it had just given birth to its first calf. In most cases you would not complete Read more about Taming agricultural value chains through data and evidence[…]