The SAFPP site was established and run as an output of the Strengthening African Food Processing Project run by CSIR Biotech for USAID.
For the last few year it has been inactive as the project closed and CSIR was unable to fund its maintenance. Having retired from CSIR I am now able to put time into the site and aim to get it up and running as communication place for food processors in Africa.
The photo above, is of the display of one of the exhibitors at the Kolda Techno Faires organised by Dyna Enterprises in Kolda, Senegal in May 2000. The issue this raises is whether a product line like this has any opportunity of creating real economic development in the new globalised environment or is this simply a subsistence activity. Does Africa instead need larger businesses of international standard and if so This will be one of the issues I will publish on and I hope we will be able to discuss.
I hope to introduce other issues and offer useful services as the site is developed.
Given the big changes in the INTERNET since SAFPP went on line, I am likely to focus more on some of the web 2.0 tools, but ask that whenever the information I put online is not appropriate for you systems, can you please let me know. One of the first of these is a blog which will address issues like the above, which you can take the link to.
I am intending to run this site in a relaxed and informal way, so that I don’t get distracted in editing and graphics - however, please let me know if you think it gets too informal!
Dave Harcourt
South Africa - 2008
