Informal food markets as platforms for sharing aspirations and frustrations

Posted on July 23, 2018 by eMKambo

An under-appreciated advantage of African informal food markets is how they allow farmers, traders, consumers and other actors to emotionally participate in business and change processes through sharing their aspirations and frustrations. The same cannot happen in formal markets like supermarkets and formal manufacturing industries where farmers just deliver commodities and wait to be paid Read more about Informal food markets as platforms for sharing aspirations and frustrations[…]

Opportunities to enrich your agricultural decisions with data

Posted on June 7, 2018 by eMKambo

With the importance of data and evidence in African agriculture gaining momentum, eMKambo has historical data that can enable diverse value chain actors to understand their agribusiness planning, budgeting and decision-making. Over the past five years, eMKambo (www.emkambo.co.zw) has been collecting data from more than 20 agricultural markets in Zimbabwe. Major parameters of the data Read more about Opportunities to enrich your agricultural decisions with data[…]

Market information and knowledge as therapy

Posted on April 17, 2018April 17, 2018 by eMKambo

When farmers who have spent years looking for satisfactory answers to their challenges finally get a solution, such a moment of truth becomes a moment of healing. A different feeling often embraces farmers when they finally discover that agriculture markets are always in a random walk such that price is just one part of a Read more about Market information and knowledge as therapy[…]

The hidden cost of the time lag between marketing and consumption of commodities

Posted on February 5, 2018 by eMKambo

One of the most misunderstood aspects of agricultural value chains in most developing countries is the time lag between marketing and consumption of agricultural commodities. While for farmers, supplying commodities and getting paid immediately is the most important thing, a lot happens between marketing and consumption. The way middlemen are blamed as if they stand Read more about The hidden cost of the time lag between marketing and consumption of commodities[…]

Succeeding through a secret mix of competencies and data

Posted on December 4, 2017 by eMKambo

The fact that farmers and students exposed to the same capacity building initiatives produce different results suggests training alone does not lead to success. In the majority of developing countries, farmers in the same environment and with access to similar resources achieve different outcomes. On the other hand, agricultural economists and agronomists who did the Read more about Succeeding through a secret mix of competencies and data[…]

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

Posted on October 23, 2017 by

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[…]

How external expertise can undermine local community knowledge

Posted on September 18, 2017 by

Many rural communities in developing countries are now more familiar with external experts and consultants who visit them to ask questions about their situation and go away never to be seen again. Using consultants and external experts to gather information or conduct evaluations is not an entirely bad idea. Outsiders can sometimes better see what Read more about How external expertise can undermine local community knowledge[…]

eMKambo Masterclasses – First Session

Posted on August 18, 2017August 23, 2017 by eMKambo

As agricultural niches become congested and highly competitive, evidence-based decision making has never been so important. It is against these trends that eMKambo (www.emkambo.co.zw) will be conducting a series of master classes to answer the following questions: How can farmers and other value chain actors set prices for their commodities without passing through a complex Read more about eMKambo Masterclasses – First Session[…]

How developing countries over-rate foreign currency

Posted on June 5, 2017 by

Many African developing countries have a deliberate bias towards exports in the hope that this can bring foreign currency that is expected to stimulate economic development. However, it seems foreign currency is a preserve of the elite who have developed a taste for foreign toys like large vehicles, expensive furniture, clothes, wine and other expressions Read more about How developing countries over-rate foreign currency[…]

Using market evidence to protect smallholder farmers from price variability

Posted on May 29, 2017 by

That most African smallholder farmers can produce enough commodities for household consumption and surplus for the market is now beyond question. The majority of committed farmers have mastered the art of producing almost any commodity. What remains outside their control are market dynamics such as prices as well as supply and demand trends. The situation Read more about Using market evidence to protect smallholder farmers from price variability[…]