In this issue
Enhancing traceability for informal trade
As the executive director and CEO of the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC), which brings together producers and processors, Gerald Makau Masila describes the barriers to formal trade for agricultural value chain actors. According to him, there is a need to invest in market infrastructure and to promote ICTs.
Agricultural trade: transforming the informal economy
The informal food sector – from the field to the market – constitutes a large proportion of agricultural trade in developing countries. To harness the potential of this vast section of the economy, policymakers and the private sector must facilitate stakeholders’ access to training, financing and technological innovations, whilst also taking their difficulties into account.
The ups and downs for agriculture
The informal sector provides income and jobs for the most vulnerable populations in developing countries and, if gradually formalised, has potential to become a major lever for growth and development.
Realising the potential of informal trade
by Bob Koigi
With women making up the majority of informal traders in the East African Community (EAC), various initiatives are encouraging them to use safer formal trading routes and facilitating their participation in formal trading activities to help increase their incomes.
Highlights from this issue include an interview with CTA’s Benjamin Addom, The agriculture of today and tomorrow is all about data, which explains the integral role of digital technology for increasing agricultural productivity, particularly in the face of the challenges posed by climate change.
