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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 some farmers and traders succeed by listening to their own advice
An increase in advice from diverse sources is becoming counter-productive for smallholder farmers in many developing countries. Besides over-saturation, there…
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Rainy seasons show how developing countries struggle with preserving food
While rainfall can easily be associated with high agricultural production, in many African countries abundant rains also come with enormous…
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Overcoming misconceptions about involving users in creating knowledge
One of the most enduring misconceptions in developing countries is the notion that if farmers and rural people are not…
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Lessons from how informal markets keep agricultural knowledge fresh
Just as agriculture markets prefer fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs and other commodities, knowledge on all these commodities should also…
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Some of the reasons why small grains continue to resist winner take all commercialization
From Mali to Zimbabwe and South Africa to Southern Sudan, small grains remain an integral part of mainstream local food…
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The hybrid nature of most African economies
Most African economies are often presented as being dual, comprising the formal and informal economy. However, in real practice the…
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Silent and health competition in African fresh food markets
A few years ago, it appeared supermarkets were the only place where consumers would find fresh fruits and vegetables in…
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Lessons from how farmers view wealth creation as a holistic system
Although there is a tendency to treat the majority of African smallholder farmers as passive recipients of external information and…
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Taming agricultural value chains through data and evidence
Many people who grew up in African communities practicing mixed farming, remember how taming young bulls or steers into a…
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It will take integrative thinkers to fully exploit African resources
The majority of African economies are too complex to be fully exploited through current formal education systems that promote silos.…
