When will developing countries stop importing knowledge?
It is lamentable that, in spite of setting up hundreds of universities and research institutes, developing countries continue to import knowledge. For instance, African countries…
Using informal markets to shape a developing country’s knowledge agenda
The world over, many resources are spent on conferences, agricultural shows and summits like the recent Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in the first…
Asking and answering fundamental questions through informal markets
Street markets or roadside food markets have remained a permanent feature in most developing countries. The fact that these markets continue to flourish alongside emerging…
Informal food markets as platforms for sharing aspirations and frustrations
An under-appreciated advantage of African informal food markets is how they allow farmers, traders, consumers and other actors to emotionally participate in business and change…
Opportunities to enrich your agricultural decisions with data
With the importance of data and evidence in African agriculture gaining momentum, eMKambo has historical data that can enable diverse value chain actors to understand…
Market information and knowledge as therapy
When farmers who have spent years looking for satisfactory answers to their challenges finally get a solution, such a moment of truth becomes a moment…
The hidden cost of the time lag between marketing and consumption of commodities
One of the most misunderstood aspects of agricultural value chains in most developing countries is the time lag between marketing and consumption of agricultural commodities.…
Succeeding through a secret mix of competencies and data
The fact that farmers and students exposed to the same capacity building initiatives produce different results suggests training alone does not lead to success. In…
The power of an end to end view of agricultural value chains
Very few actors in African agriculture can see the entire value chain and its nodes. As a result, production activities continue to be based on…
How external expertise can undermine local community knowledge
Many rural communities in developing countries are now more familiar with external experts and consultants who visit them to ask questions about their situation and…