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Agro-Food Enterprises: Discussion
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Contact:
FoodAfrica Secretariat
Natural Resources Institute
The University of Greenwich at Medway
Central Avenue
Chatham Maritime
Kent ME4 4TB
United Kingdom
Email: Keith Tomlins
Tel: +44 (0)1634 883360
Fax: +44 (0)1634 883567
Web: www.nri.org
Introduction to discussion
Agro-food enterprises fall in the value chain between agricultural production
and the consumer of food. The Research and Development focus in the food
chain has for many years been on agricultural production. A lack of successful
agribusiness results in the export of raw materials and the import of
processed products. The results of this are that the financial and developmental
benefits arising from the production of the crop are enjoyed away from
the rural agricultural community.
However, in looking at all these beautiful concepts the bottom line is
very simple – the Agro-Food Enterprise must make a product that
it can sell to consumers at a level that ensures that income is higher
than the cost.
Agro-Food Enterprises:
adding value and meeting consumer demand (Dave Harcourt)
Introduction paper
Agro-food enterprises can be an effective method for improving food utilisation, food safety and nutritional content. Issues, however, remain, especially for Africa. How effectively do agro-food enterprises meet consumer expectations? Is the consumer involved in this process and, if so, which consumers and what are the lines of communication? What is the driving force behind new product development in Africa? How can government policies be more supportive of agro-food enterprises, communication strategies and marketing systems?
What are the driving forces - Introduction paper (Trust Beta) Introduction paper
| Summaries by the moderator | Download as |
| Moderators Summary - Agro-Enterprises on 6th April 2003, By dave
Harcourt |
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| Moderators Summary – Agro-Enterprises on 7th April 2003 -
By Dave Harcourt |
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| Moderators Summary – Agro-Enterprises on 9th April 2003 - A PROPOSED FOCUS - By Dave Harcourt | Word |
Moderators Summary – Agro-Enterprises on 14th
April 2003 - Summary - By Dave Harcourt |
| Discussion internet Forum | Download as |
| Internet Forum - Discussion Agro-Food-Enterprises – 2nd to 6th April 2003 |
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| Internet Forum - Discussion Agro-Food-Enterprises – 7th April 2003 |
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| Internet Forum - Discussion Agro-Food-Enterprises – 8th April 2003 |
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| Internet Forum - Discussion Agro-Food-Enterprises – 9-11th April 2003 |
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Moderators Dave Harcourt trained as 
a
Chemical Engineer at the University of Natal. After a few years in SASOL,
the heart of the Chemical industry in South Africa, he obtained an MSc
in Biological Engineering from University of Birmingham and began working
in Research & Development for the South African Traditional Beer Industry.
This covered a range of activities and posts from unit operations research,
process development, techno economics studies, plant design, process management,
information processing, new product development and research management.
Twelve years ago he started R&D in the small food processing enterprise
sector, in response to the changes introduced into South Africa with the
election of the first Democratic government. This has lead to a number
of activities, including managing the Strengthening African Food Processing
Project (SAFPP), ECA consultation groups on food security and indigenous
foods, implementation of rural bakeries, agribusiness opportunity surveys
in Strategic Development Initiatives (SDI) and local governmant, development
of enterprise modeling spreadsheets and small business restructuring.
Dr
Trust Beta received her BSC from the University of Zimbabwe and joined
the Department of Research and Specialist Services, Ministry of Agriculture.
She gained experience in the analysis of agricultural materials. She trained
as food scientist at MSC and PHD levels at Texas A&M University and
the University of Pretoria, respectively. She became involved in agricultural
research aimed at improving household food security in rural communities
of Southern Africa through the SADC/ICRISAT Sorghum and Millet Improvement
Programme. She joined the University of Zimbabwe as lecturer in 1995.
She has been working to address postharvest issues in collaboration with
many institutions including UP, TAMU, University of Wisconsin, University
of Hong Kong, and Iowa State University on grain quality and processing
of cereal crops, sensory properties of sorghum flours (Natural Resources
Institute). She is currently based at the University of Manitoba
Moderators Summary – Agro-Enterprises on 14th April 2003 - By Dave Harcourt While we are still summarizing the last batch of inputs and before we make an overall summary, the things in my mind that have come out of the Forum are, that the Agro-Food Enterprise sector can and must: • increase supply to food insecure areas from the excess
producing areas creating jobs and economic development ## question ## – what do you think I have left out of this list? Ojijo Olang'o from Western Kenya gave feedback on entrepreneurs who started a peanut processing service which has been operating for some time producing a local traditionally prepared product. He also noted that maybe with more support they could diversify the product line and grow. Dr Honore Tabuna, from Congo Brazzaville but now living in France, made a long submission on the opportunity offered by to Africa by the Ethnic Food Market. He identifies the trends and opportunities in Ethnic markets, but identifies that the market for African Foods is limited to the Diaspora at present and seems to say this is through special outlets. The main point he made was that exporting would be a serious undertaking, we need to develop a food system that would be able to slot into the European, but would have real opportunities for enterprise in Africa. On a personal note I have already emailed Dr Tabuna to take up this potential with him, after all he is right in the business end of the opportunity we talk about – if you want to be part of our exchanges please email me, we could form a small forum I would be happy to manage. Gyebi Duodu speaks of an actual experience where he visited a farm
where papaya, that was below visual standards, was wasted and wondered
if the farm could not eliminate these losses by making juice. There
is of course no difficulty except that He also noted the growing urban need for instant and easy to use Traditional Foods – noting that he had seen these in Botswana and South Africa. ## question ## – are convenience traditional foods a nice to have or is it a real potential market? what is your experience as a consumer?
## question ## – is there any reason why we should not focus on shifting processing from the rural areas, especially for the final products anyway consumed in those areas. Don’t we at the moment transport raw material (along with their waste) to the urban areas and transport the finished product back, leaving the wastes which could go back on the lands in the citiy’s dumps. Joseph Mpagalile asks those who have experience to provide feedback on Food Processing Incubators as the Technology/Business incubator seems to be a good mechanism to develop businesses. He then gives detailed information on “processing shops” in Tanzania. Rice, maize and oil are all processed, however, the areas where this occur are different, presumably as a result of the local farming activities.
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Brief notes on other postings safety food security Asia Kapande introduced a new “bottom up” concept for the development of processing equipment – he proposed the researchers build the prototype equipment and the farmers are involved in the testing and development. It’s a bit like farming Systems Research and gets the researcher out with the technology user. ## question ## – do you think there is merit in this? – maybe if the scientists pay is tied to the level his prototype responds to the enterprises needs it would help avoid the “we’ve got lots of technology on the shelf but the entrepreneurs (stupid aren’t they?) don’t come and take it!” Yes I’ve been told that!
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