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Why the elite should stop imposing their expectations on smallholder farmers
Bankers expect smallholder farmers to repay loans at a particular interest. For economists, African smallholder farmers are supposed to master…
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How to move from ordinary to best agricultural practices
‘Best practice’ is not even a mouthful but what it means in practice remains unclear to many people who use…
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Closing gaps between indigenous knowledge systems and digital solutions
One of the major challenges in Africa’s digital agriculture space is that software developers try to develop digital solutions based…
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Artificial intelligence cannot generate market intelligence on its own
While Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being touted as a solution to many data-related challenges, it cannot generate agricultural market intelligence…
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Indigenous Knowledge Systems have their own data collection methods
Whereas imported western methods of collecting data focus on scientific questionnaires, in African communities and mass markets conversations and stories…
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Mass market signals are becoming more important in a changing climate
With frequent reports El Nino weather phenomena across the world, signals from mass markets are becoming major sources of critical…
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What mass markets say about the political economy of African food systems
By bringing diverse commodities and people together across boundaries, African mass markets create space for issues that are usually left…
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Pitfalls of taking community voices for granted in food systems projects
Most conversations about food systems and climate change that happen in global conferences and capital city workshops continue to miss…
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African territorial markets continue to protect food cultures and identities
If there were no territorial markets many food ingredients and related recipes would have disappeared. Besides keeping rural and urban…
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Making sense of African food baskets through territorial markets
In addition to being a source of nutrition and income, African territorial markets provide strong evidence bases for building local…
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African territorial markets are masters of conversational commerce
What makes African territorial markets different from other markets is that they are not just about financial transactions. They are…
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How weak institutional support creates room for opportunists in African food systems
Absence of institutional support and fluid data has persistently seen most African agricultural value chains invaded by opportunists who end…
