How informal markets are redefining agricultural extension
Given their openness and competitive nature, informal agriculture markets enable farmers to see their knowledge gaps. This shows up in a comparative sense where farmers…
From acronyms and buzzwords to building local institutions
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…
How do we stop financial inclusion from becoming financial slavery
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…
How can Africans move from chatting to serious wealth creation?
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…
Why producers should always get a clear view of the competitive landscape
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…
Why farmers should understand consumers and the pains of knowledge sharing
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…
How agriculture markets are more than just memorizing facts and figures
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…
Principles of demand-driven agricultural practice
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…
How digital technology purifies demand and experiences through agriculture markets
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…
Farmers and traders with diversified sources of information are more successful
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…