Trader Perceptions Of Constraints On Expanding Agricultural Input Trade Among Selected SADCC Countries

An AEE Working Paper on constraints faced by SADCC countries in expanding their agricultural inputs

Seed Sector Evolution in Zambia and Zimbabwe: Has Farmer Access Improved Following Economic Reforms?

Crop Production/Industries, Downloads July 2008-June 2009: 19,

Developing Cereal-Based Demand for Fertilizer among Smallholders in Southern Africa: Lessons Learned and Implications for Other African Regions

Crop Production/Industries, Downloads July 2008 - July 2009: 11,

Medicinal Plants Used as Home Remedies: A Family Survey by First Year Medical Students

Background: There is a hierarchical organisation of knowledge in the use of medicinal plants in communities. Medicinal use knowledge starts in thehome and is passed on to family members. Next in the hierarchy are neighbours, village elders and finally, traditional healers being the mostknowledgeable. For primary health care this hierarchy is actively followed in seeking remedies for ailments.Materials and Methods: This study was a survey of medicinal plant  knowledge from family members of 1st year medical students registered atWalter Sisulu University. A total of 206 first year medical students  participated in this study in 2010 and 2011.Results: Results revealed 47 species used as home remedies, 32% of which are food plants. Leaves and roots were reported as most commonly used. The top five ailments managed at home were gastrointestinal problems (25 plants), wounds (19 plants), respiratory tract problems (19 plants), infections, including sexually transmitted diseases (19 plants) and pain including headaches (19 plants). Chronic diseases such as  hypertension, diabetes, cancer and reproductive ailments also formed a large group of diseases self-managed at home (29 plants).Conclusion: Family members hold knowledge of medicinal plant use. From this study, first year medical students were made aware of the relationship between common ailments and associated home remedies. This study forms a basis for further study of medicinal plants to validate theiruse as medicinal remedies.Key words: medicinal plants, home remedies, medical students, South Afric

CONDUCT OF AGENTS IN THE NORTHERN MALAWI TOBACCO MARKET CHANNEL.

A DAEE Working Paper on tobacco agricultural marketing in Malawi.This study is based on the Industrial Organisation (10) theory to analyse the behaviour of farmers and firms and the economic performance and how it changes over time. This model posits that there are basic conditions that determine the market structure, which in turn determines the conduct of farmers and organisations involved in the tobacco industry. There are over 10 000 growers and 200 intermediate tobacco buyers, who are structurally organised so as to not compete against each other. Both the growers and the intermediate buyers must eventually sell all their tobacco at the Mzuzu auction floor to four tobacco dealers who collude in price determination. These tobacco dealers in turn supply processed tobacco to four cigarette manufacturers, who appear to have significant power in influencing prices at the auction floors at prices dictated by the manufacturers. This behaviour of the tobacco dealers confirms the existence of an oligopsonistic market at the dealer stage of the channel

A structure conduct performance analysis of the Zimbabwe agricultural commodity exchange

An AEE Working Paper/Perfomance Analysis of Zimbabwe's Agricultural Commodity Exchange.Farmers, agribusiness leaders and government policy makers in Sub-Saharan Africa are grappling with the difficult question of how to restructure their agricultural input and output marketing systems in order to expand the role of the private sector, focus public activities on core functions and improve access by smallholders. In Zimbabwe the concept of an agricultural commodity exchange came about with the government policy of structural adjustment and led commercial farmers to set up ZIMACE to provide a mechanism for price discovery and coordinating the exchange of agricultural commodities. Given the expanding volume of agricultural commodities traded through ZIMACE, ZIMACE is now a major player in domestic, regional and international markets. The most significant development is that smallholder farmers are now basing their prices on ZIMACE. A growing hypothesis is that if smallholders use ZIMACE as a price discovery mechanism then they will not be cheated into accepting low prices compared with if they bargain individually with traders. However, there is a lack of information on the efficiency and effectiveness of ZIMACE in carrying out marketing functions and the potential benefits to smallholders, especially in marginal areas. This study reviews literature on the mechanisms for discovering agricultural prices, mechanisms for coordinating exchange of agricultural commodities, and agricultural commodity exchanges in Africa. The study also reviews empirical methods for analysing agricultural commodity markets and develops a conceptual framework for analysing the structure, conduct and performance of ZIMACE. The conceptual framework is used to analyse basic conditions, contestability of the market and pricing efficiency. The study found that ZIMACE is organised as an exchange. Although there is high market concentration, ZIMACE is a contestable market. Because of contestability participants engage in price and non-price competitive behaviour and because of market competition there is spatial pricing efficiency and correlation of the ZIMA CE market with other markets. Granger causality tests indicate that ZIMA CE is a price leader in terms of price discovery and performs well in the transmission of price information. The study recommends that the Government enact legislation to enforce grain handlers including GMB to submit price information which should be made public. In addition, grain commodity brokers are recommended to improve transparency in the price discovery process by not engaging in unethical business practices. Smallholder farmers are recommended to engage the services of brokers and consolidate their produce in different areas to obtain better access to ZIMACE. Finally it is recommended that ZIMACE supports the development of infrastructure facilities to effectively link production centres with market centres and improve market knowledge by providing accurate and timely public market information to all farming sectors

Cereals Trade Patterns in the SADCC Region

An on-going food security research program conducted by the University of Zimbabwe and Michigan State University under a Food Security in Africa Cooperative Agreement.In recent years, the nine member states of SADCC have increasingly voiced an interest in expanded intra-regional trade as one strategy towards increased food security within the region. The fact that six of the nine countries are landlocked, transport costs are high, and dependence on trade with external countries (including South Africa) is viewed as precarious, have contributed to a sense of urgency which resulted in the funding of pre-feasibility and feasibility studies for the establishment of a regional food security scheme based on local reserves. However, levels of intra-regional trade have historically been low. The proportion of intra-SADCC trade in overall trade is only 4-5% (Chr.. Michelsen, 1985). For food grains such as maize, much intra-regional trade has been in the form of donor-supported food aid (although percentages of commercial versus aid imports have never been comprehensively quantified). In an effort to contribute to the knowledge base on SADCC agricultural marketing and trade, the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension of the University of Zimbabwe, in collaboration with Michigan State University, initiated a research project, in mid-1987 -to explore constraints to and potentials for expanded trade in the SADCC region 1.The United States Agency for International Development, with contributions from the Regional Office’for Southern Africa, the Africa Bureau, and the Science and Technology Bureau

Agricultural input supply

A research paper on agricultural input supply for small-holder farmers in the rural areas of Zimbabwe.The preconditions for the development and growth of agricultural input supply systems for smallholders were established in the 1940s and 1950s, mainly as spin-offs from public and private investments targeted at large-scale commercial farmers. These included government agricultural research stations that released new cultivars, nutrients, pesticides and farm equipment technologies that private sector firms could sell to farmers at a profit. They also included public extension services that cooperated with private firms, farm credit, market channels and favourable government policies. Agribusiness firms entered the input markets by initially focusing on large-scale commercial farmers and later expanding to smallholders in favourable areas. This chapter discusses the historical development of the fertilizer and chemical industries from the pre-independence and post-independence eras to the introduction of structural adjustment reforms in 1991, changes during the economic reforms in the 1990s, and finally changes and challenges emanating with the land and agrarian reforms since 2000. After 70 years of servicing mainly large-scale commercial farmers, the fertilizer and chemical industry is now being challenged to re-invent itself and supply relevant farm management information, knowledge, technology, capital and services to an increased number of black commercial and smallholder fanners, scattered in all parts of the country. The smallholder fertilizer problem is complex and has been debated for decades

Identifying agricultural marketing and trade policies with the potential to promote food security in countries of the SADCC region: a research discussion paper

A conference paper on food security in Southern Africa. Paper presented at the Third annual University of Zimbabwe conference on food security in Southern Africa, November 2-5, UZ, Mt. Pleasant, Harare

Agricultural, marketing and trade policies to promote food security in the SADCC region: a research proposal

A research paper on regional co-operation in agricultural marketing in Southern Africa to enhance and promote regional food security.In recent years, the nine member states of SADCC have voiced great interest in expanding intraregional trade as one strategy to increasing food security within the region. The fact that six of the nine countries are landlocked, transport costs are high, and dependence on trade with external countries (including South Africa) is viewed as precarious, has contributed to a sense of urgency which resulted in the funding of prefeasibility and feasibility studies to investigate establishing a regional food security scheme based on local grain reserves,The research supporting the preparation the proceedings papers was financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development, Bureau of Science and Technology; Bureau for Africa; and the Southern Africa Regional Programme