From acronyms and buzzwords to building local institutions

Posted on June 6, 2016 by eMKambo

In spite of promises surrounding mobile technology, African communities still face enormous barriers to accessing reliable, relevant and usable information and knowledge. Over the past decades, international organisations like the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR) have generated and shared remarkable knowledge. While these institutions Read more about From acronyms and buzzwords to building local institutions[…]

How do we stop financial inclusion from becoming financial slavery

Posted on May 30, 2016 by eMKambo

Financial inclusion has become one of the buzzwords in many African countries including Zimbabwe. It is as if financial institutions, development agents and policy makers have suddenly discovered the need to bring marginal communities into formal financial systems. However, financial inclusion that does not fully take into account socio-economic circumstances of those to be financially Read more about How do we stop financial inclusion from becoming financial slavery[…]

How can Africans move from chatting to serious wealth creation?

Posted on May 23, 2016 by eMKambo

Like any other innovation, the explosion of ICTs and social media has come with merits and demerits in most developing countries. Although it is always tempting to look at the advantages and ignore disadvantages, we can learn a lot from examining both sides. Africa now has millions of WhatsApp groups and other social media-driven platforms. Read more about How can Africans move from chatting to serious wealth creation?[…]

Why producers should always get a clear view of the competitive landscape

Posted on May 16, 2016May 19, 2016 by eMKambo

While African countries seem to be encouraging their farmers to produce for exporting to developed countries, those countries are looking at African countries as their customers. Competition has become so real that it is very easy to find chickens from Brazil and Chinese noodles in remote corners of Africa. This means all producers, including smallholder Read more about Why producers should always get a clear view of the competitive landscape[…]

Why farmers should understand consumers and the pains of knowledge sharing

Posted on May 9, 2016 by eMKambo

In a world increasingly driven by ICTs, farmers should not be satisfied with feedback from supermarkets and contract companies. Nothing stops them from speaking directly to consumers who are the final end users of what they produce. A majority of consumers particularly those in urban markets have more information than producers. That means farmers have Read more about Why farmers should understand consumers and the pains of knowledge sharing[…]

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[…]