Indigenous Knowledge Systems have their own data collection methods
Whereas imported western methods of collecting data focus on scientific questionnaires, in African communities and mass markets conversations and stories are the highest form of…
Mass market signals are becoming more important in a changing climate
With frequent reports El Nino weather phenomena across the world, signals from mass markets are becoming major sources of critical knowledge for adaptation to climate…
What mass markets say about the political economy of African food systems
By bringing diverse commodities and people together across boundaries, African mass markets create space for issues that are usually left unsaid. While the formal mainstream…
Pitfalls of taking community voices for granted in food systems projects
Most conversations about food systems and climate change that happen in global conferences and capital city workshops continue to miss practical community voices. When a…
African territorial markets continue to protect food cultures and identities
If there were no territorial markets many food ingredients and related recipes would have disappeared. Besides keeping rural and urban areas connected through food, African…
Making sense of African food baskets through territorial markets
In addition to being a source of nutrition and income, African territorial markets provide strong evidence bases for building local food baskets. Such knowledge bases…
African territorial markets are masters of conversational commerce
What makes African territorial markets different from other markets is that they are not just about financial transactions. They are masters of conversational commerce and…
How weak institutional support creates room for opportunists in African food systems
Absence of institutional support and fluid data has persistently seen most African agricultural value chains invaded by opportunists who end up taking the bigger cake…
African mass markets as platforms for addressing hunger and malnutrition
What makes African territorial markets impossible to underestimate is not just their power to aggregate diverse commodities from every corner. They also give value to…
Promoting low input, climate conscious food systems through territorial markets
If agroecology is about rebuilding soil health, enhancing biodiversity and reducing dependence on costly external inputs, then African territorial markets are definitely part of agroecology.…