Why Invest in ICTs for agriculture?

With the ability to reach many farmers with timely and accessible content, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for agriculture (ICT4Ag) has the potential to transform farming and food production, worldwide. ICT4Ag supports new methods in the monitoring and management of soils, plants and livestock (precision agriculture), access to online markets, and improved communication between value chain stakeholders, among others. The services provided are vital in connecting farmers with the information they need to improve their agricultural productivity and reduce poverty. Through case studies and examples of ICT4Ag initiatives from across Asia, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa, the first chapter looks at how ICT4Ag actually works to drive economic development across developing economies

Exit strategies for social venture entrepreneurs in sub-Sahara Africa : A literature review

This paper reviews exit strategies for social venturing entrepreneurs. Exit is important for social venture entrepreneurs because they do not intend to stay in perpetuity in businesses they establish in the countries and communities where such businesses are set up. The paper, factoring in the two motives of social impact and financial returns, argues that social venture entrepreneurs who follow traditional business and entrepreneurship exit strategies may miss the very mission under which they establish such a business. A conclusion drawn from a literature and practitioners’ model is that a “hybrid” of business entrepreneurship and project-based exit criteria could be a best fit exit approach for such entrepreneurs, especially those who invest in sub-Sahara Africa. Data for this paper were collected by means of a normative case study approach

Transfer of ownership for social venture entrepreneurs : A case study in northern Tanzania

Social Venture Entrepreneurs (SVEs) invest in supply chains with the aim to ignite businesses, but with a vision on how to transfer ownership to third parties. The present study explores the definitions and forms of ownership envisioned by local stakeholders and the extent to which these are in line with the SVEs’ way of thinking. Using qualitative case study analysis, perceptions of legal and psychological ownership are compared between local stakeholders and social venture management in the specific context of a particular SVE initiative among local Maasai communities in northern Tanzania. It is concluded that different groups of stakeholders have different definitions of ownership forms, transfer and criteria. Social Venture Entrepreneurs will need to organize their definition of ownership around a perspective shared by its stakeholders, in order to realize the mission for which such businesses were initiated within regions that these businesses operate in

Leaving a Social Venture: Social Entrepreneurial Exit among the Maasai in Northern Tanzania

Arguing that the exit of social ventures is likely to follow specific patterns, due the uniqueness of a social entrepreneur’s goals, the social venture’s emphasis on the provision of public goods, and its relationship to stakeholders, we conduct a qualitative analysis of the entrepreneurial exit of a Dutch social venture in Northern Tanzania. Our analysis suggests that the choice of exit and the potential exit routes are indeed specific to social ventures, as the original social goals of the venture influence the decision to exit and its implementation. Specifically, we find that the goal of leaving a sustainable venture after the exit and the preference for the transfer of ownership to local community members was paramount for the social entrepreneur. Our results also highlight the difficulties associated with the unique role of stakeholders in social ventures, due to different perceptions and interests about the meaning and implementation of entrepreneurial exit.</p

Implementation of good manufacturing practices (GMP) to improve the quality of smoked fish (Scomber colias)

For several years, fish smoking has been the widely adopted processing method among artisanal fish smokers located along the coastal zones in many parts of West Africa including Ghana. However, several issues pertaining to biochemical and microbiological contaminants still remain, mainly because of the suboptimal, unhygienic fish handling during the processing. To help curtail the problem, we developed and implemented a simple good manufacturing practice (GMP) system for experimentation at two local fish smoking facilities (Facility A, FA; Facility B, FB) to assess the effectiveness for improving the quality of smoked fish. The implementation of GMP did not affect the physical properties of the smoked fish but improved the peroxide value, total volatile base nitrogen, polyaromantic hydrocarbons and histamine levels. The total aerobic counts decreased from 3.96 ± 0.12 cfu/g to 1.52 ± 0.28 cfu/g (FA) or from 4.10 ± 0.2 cfu/g to 1.85 ± 0.85 cfu/g, (FB). The coliforms and Escherichia coli decreased respectively from 1.69 ± 0.12 cfu/g and 1.15 ± 0.21 cfu/g (FA) and from 1.74 ± 0.37 cfu/g and 1.24 ± 0.37 cfu/g, (FB) to below detection (no observed colony) after introducing the single use of potable water, use of smoking oven and fish core temperature of 108.1 ± 7.5 °C and 82.5 ± 3.9 °C, respectively for 2 h, wearing of safety apparels, drying and cooling of smoked fish under nets, and the use of waste disposal bins. The results show that sensitization and training of fish smokers in GMP may be relevant for improving the microbial and overall quality of smoked fish