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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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Why policies should be anchored on disciplined documentation
In most African countries that depend on agriculture, policies are often blamed for poor economic performance and failure to improve…
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Understanding pricing models is more important than the capacity to produce
One of the questions that have not received adequate answers for decades is: Who really sets prices in self-organized African…
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Giving farmers, commodities and consumers a voice through market data
Some of the most powerful instincts about African agriculture and food systems are found only in territorial mass markets where…
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Enabling communities to build their own markets fosters economic justice Most market infrastructure
Most market infrastructure built for vendors and low-income entrepreneurs in African countries end up abandoned due to lack of consultation…
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Poor policies give birth to several faces of informality-lessons from African cities
Street markets and informal settlements that are part of many African cities do not mean that Africans just enjoy disobeying…
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Using sweet potatoes and stories to demystify nutrition, science
Using sweet potatoes and stories to demystify nutrition, science Had African policy makers, development agencies and nutritionists succeeded in embedding…
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Continued innovation is difficult to sustain without consistent production
Fragmented production makes it difficult to sustain continuous innovation. When pumpkins are out of season, enterprises that make pumpkin juice…
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Money, resilience, sustainability and growth is in mastering the details
Successful transition from primary production to industrialization requires serious attention to detail. Otherwise, it will be difficult for African countries…
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Why agricultural inputs suppliers should rethink their business models
For decades, companies that sell seed, fertilizer, chemicals and other inputs have been more interested in increasing their sales volumes…
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Informality is an invitation for African universities and banks to do something with their knowledge
African universities and financial institutions haven’t done much to correct the negative perception and discourse about African mass markets and…
