The quality of agricultural commodities and income is influenced by the quality of evidence and knowledge accessible to value chain actors, thanks to evidence from African mass food markets. More importantly, the survival of any business depends on the trust, relationships and networks built with existing and potential suppliers and buyers. Many African countries produce Read more about How evidence and knowledge influence the quality of commodities and incomes[…]

One of the most persistent challenges for African governments and development agencies has been how to spread good practices by scaling what is working in one community to several communities. Several well-meaning pilot interventions have remained isolated islands of success. The way African territorial markets harness horizontal knowledge exchange between actors could provide useful practical Read more about Using territorial markets to scale what is working in African food systems[…]

Instead of depending on extractive models that focus on exploiting natural resources like land, water and minerals, every African country can benefit from tapping into the voices and wisdom of people who are doing the hard work of preserving African indigenous food. Many rural communities are convinced that achieving food and nutrition security is a Read more about Tapping into the voices and wisdom of people doing the hard work[…]

As buying patterns signify ordinary people’s priorities, developing countries should invest more in finding pockets of opportunity from micro-markets than pursuing mega deals. In most African countries, much of the overlooked growth is within open food markets from which the majority get food and income. An outside observer may see open markets as chaotic economic Read more about How consumers use their buying patterns to signal priorities[…]

How capital determines the structure of agriculture and food systems in Africa Although finance will not solve all challenges facing developing countries, the structure of African agriculture is largely shaped by the way capital flows into this fundamental sector. In Zimbabwe, for instance, more than 55% of the entire capital devoted to agriculture goes to Read more about How capital determines the structure of agriculture and food systems in Africa[…]