Knowledge in informal African markets - a case study of three informal markets in Zimbabwe

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: If knowledge is power, this thesis tries to show how informal African markets share thatpower. In many African countries such as Zimbabwe, policy makers and developmentpartners are yet to fully understand the knowledge system of the informal markets and how itfunctions. The informal economy is an informal person to person information system. Itbecomes a knowledge system when farmers and traders take action based on informationsignals shared in the market. The information system is informal because the flow ofinformation is not organized formally.Farmers and traders do not rely on any database or computer for decision-making. Theinformation system that they use connects with the special nature of trust and memory.Given that the informal information system is not regulated or written down, trust becomesthe essence of information exchange and of the knowledge system. All relationships in theinformal economy are based on trust. This trusted informal information system, on one hand,gives smallholder traditional farmers power around production, use of land as well aslivestock ownership and post-harvest handling. On the other hand, by informing farmersabout market expectations as well as sorting and aggregating commodities, traders havepower to determine the value of farmers' agricultural commodities. Although the informationsystem overlaps with the formal system, person to person information-sharing remains thebasic thing reinforcing vertical and horizontal power integration within the market. Withoutthese assets, the informal agricultural market will stop functioning.In this thesis, Chapter 1 lays out the Structure of the Research, teasing out the main objectiveof the research which is to understand knowledge dynamics in informal agriculture markets.It also explains the context and essence of the problem under investigation. This chapter alsoarticulates the research questions and provides a contextual description of Zimbabwe'sagriculture sector including the role of the informal markets. Chapter 2 captures the scope ofwork and methodology while Chapter 3 focuses on Knowledge and Learning as theoreticalunderpinnings of the research.Chapters 4 and 5 focus on the data collection process where interviews and focus groupdiscussions were the main methods. Chapter 4 captures the voice of the farmers whileChapter 5 dwells on the voice of the traders. As a conclusion, Chapter 6 ties together the keyissues around knowledge and learning emerging from this research.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University