Making knowledge needs visible through agricultural markets

2.3 Direct actions in communities

2.3.3. Information Technology (IT) and enhancing of livelihoods of people dependent on the IE

Recommendation: 27. Promote collection of data of costs on production, storage transportation, inputs to the IE activity to enhance IE operators’ decision making skills. This applies to both agricultural as well as other rural and urban production.

Reference: Dhewa, Charles, 2016, Making knowledge needs visible through agricultural markets, General background document on issues in our research matrix, eMKambo, Knowledge Transfer Africa, Harare Zimbabwe. See also website of Knowledge Transfer Africa http://www.knowledgetransafrica.com/

Evidence sample: The article emphasises that knowledge needs of producers need to be made visible and responded to. A critical activity in this direction is tracking and monitoring the supply and demand of knowledge in commodities that flow into particular markets regularly. Informal agriculture markets are not just for agricultural commodities but they have also evolved into knowledge markets where the demand and supply of knowledge can be tracked back to production along the whole value chain, informed by feedback from the market.