African agriculture requires serious disruptive thinkers

Posted on by eMKambo

If African agriculture is to be truly transformative, there is need for disruptive thinkers who can  revisit boundaries between smallholder and large scale farmers. These boundaries have extended from physical (size of land) to the mind-set, creating unsustainable mental blockages.  Most smallholder farmers have bought the myth that they cannot think big and challenge conventional Read more about African agriculture requires serious disruptive thinkers[…]

How informal agricultural traders capture and preserve customer loyalty

Posted on by eMKambo

They may not advertise their products in the formal media, but informal agricultural traders have results-driven ways of capturing customer loyalty. Most of their skills have been honed over generations into unwritten intuitive laws that almost every trader is aware of. They understand customers more than customers know about themselves.  According to traders in Harare Read more about How informal agricultural traders capture and preserve customer loyalty[…]

How much should farmers and consumers know about something?

Posted on by eMKambo

The formal education system in many developing countries is organised in such a way that the depth and breadth of knowledge imparted determines grades and qualification levels. Unfortunately, it is difficult to translate this arrangement into real life where societies do not function according to grades and degree qualifications. For instance, farmers and rural communities Read more about How much should farmers and consumers know about something?[…]

How to move from ordinary to best agricultural practices

Posted on by eMKambo

‘Best practice’ is not even a mouthful but what it means in practice remains unclear to many people who use the phrase. In African agriculture, it takes a lot for a farmer or trader to become a best practitioner.  Most value chain actors face challenges in identifying sufficient quality evidence that can be translated into Read more about How to move from ordinary to best agricultural practices[…]

The power of curiosity and situational intelligence in African communities

Posted on by eMKambo

In every African community you can find people who are naturally curious and those who lack interest in learning.  Those who are curious can describe many aspects of their local environment such as natural resources and man-made features like water sources, dip tanks, schools, markets and business centres as well as the history of their Read more about The power of curiosity and situational intelligence in African communities[…]

Many African farmers can perform like Gold Medalists

Posted on by eMKambo

If agriculture was an Olympics competition, many African farmers would certainly be gold medalists. Zephaniah Phiri, the late world class water harvester of Zvishavane in Zimbabwe would have collected dozens of gold medals. There are many such farmers from Cape to Cairo and Senegal to Somalia. While modernization is trying to present standards of excellence Read more about Many African farmers can perform like Gold Medalists[…]

Limitations of using documents and reports to share knowledge in Africa

Posted on by eMKambo

Many well-intentioned organisations and people are being frustrated by the shortcomings of using case studies, most significant change stories and conference presentations in spreading success from one African community to another. Most reports produced by several consultants are not making a difference due to multiple reasons (known and unknown). On the other hand, more than Read more about Limitations of using documents and reports to share knowledge in Africa[…]

Why some approaches and technologies are not moving beyond early adopters

Posted on by eMKambo

A lot can be learnt from remarkable ways through which African socio-cultural systems generated and shared knowledge. There were reliable conduits for sharing knowledge from one age group to another, one gender to another and one society to another.  Besides respected knowledge brokers, each community had sense making tools linking different communities of practice. Some Read more about Why some approaches and technologies are not moving beyond early adopters[…]

From farmers and traders to knowledge artisans

Posted on by eMKambo

Many developing countries are witnessing trends where indigenous knowledge systems are transforming to a commercial stage.  This is exposing the myth that indigenous knowledge can remain pure and undiluted in the current rapidly globalizing world. The modern economy forces farmers, traders and other economic actors to contribute knowledge to their socio-economic networks. Every farmer or Read more about From farmers and traders to knowledge artisans[…]

How can we build equilibrium knowledge ecosystems in developing countries?

Posted on by eMKambo

There are many reasons why developing countries suffer from a severe mismatch between knowledge supply and demand. Less than 20% of knowledge in African countries has been documented.  Besides driving policy and economic development, such knowledge is trying to influence the 80% tacit knowledge which is undocumented. While computerisation and digital technology are expanding in Read more about How can we build equilibrium knowledge ecosystems in developing countries?[…]