Month: April 2019

The opportunity cost of industrialization in developing countries

Posted on by eMKambo

The African spiny horned cucumber (pictured below) is abundant in Southern Africa this farming season. Like other natural crops, it does well in seasons characterized by global warming-induced drought such as the one ravaging Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe this year. Replaced by the English cucumber, the African cucumber has been completely ignored Read more about The opportunity cost of industrialization in developing countries[…]

From academic and scientific research to commercial and social viability

Posted on by eMKambo

When academic and scientific research came into African economies, communities were already surviving on Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS). In agriculture, for instance, a long tradition of seed selection, multiplication, retention and preservation exists up to today. Conservation Agriculture and other related forms of knowledge have also been part of community assets since time immemorial. The Read more about From academic and scientific research to commercial and social viability[…]

How people’s markets value satisfaction more than colonial measurements

Posted on by eMKambo

The formal education system in developing countries has not taken time to explain and justify colonial measurements that continue to be used in attaching value to agricultural commodities. Consequently, smallholder farmers wonder why some commodities are measured in kilograms and liters.  In the absence of meaningful explanations, consumers and farmers surmise that these measurements were Read more about How people’s markets value satisfaction more than colonial measurements[…]

How ICTs are being misused to perpetuate poverty

Posted on by eMKambo

Contrary to the hype in which ICTs are presented as a panacea, ICTs-related costs in many African countries eroding the meagre promised benefits. Countless studies and articles (including this one – https://www.techzim.co.zw/2019/03/cost-of-mobile-data-in-zimbabwe-should-we-even-compare/) show that the cost of data is increasing in Africa when such costs are decreasing in other parts of the world. This is Read more about How ICTs are being misused to perpetuate poverty[…]

How can developing countries build financial systems that work for the majority and for the environment

Posted on by eMKambo

Not much research is needed to prove that financial systems in most developing countries do not work for the majority of people and for the environment. To the extent that financial systems are fundamentally urban ecosystems, more than 60% of the populations that live in rural areas are not part of mainstream financial systems. Where Read more about How can developing countries build financial systems that work for the majority and for the environment[…]