As globalization has created longer and increasingly complex food supply chains, there has been a concomitant surge in demand for locally-sourced food. Some companies have ridden this wave. Chipotle, for example, differentiated itself from other restaurants by building a brand around a promise of fresh and local ingredients. But after the chain was linked to outbreaks of E. coli, norovirus, and salmonella last year, its emphasis on local sourcing was called into question....
Commodities trading, Adam Smith wrote in 1776, was a boon to efficiency and a foe to famine. It was also extremely unpopular, especially in years when harvests were poor (he was writing specifically of trading in corn)....
In 2015, the world pivoted in a historic way toward sustainability. Debates about climate change melted away. Every country committed to action in the form of the Paris Agreement. Even the Pope spoke to the issue, reminding us that weâre all connected. It was a productive 12 months, to say the least....
Last year Facebook became the second largest e-commerce company in Africa after Jumia, the industry leader. The American social media giant did not celebrate that feat, though, because it never promoted itself as an e-commerce firm. But as global technology brands penetrate African economies, it is becoming evident that most local startups are experiencing new levels of competition, which could potentially disrupt their operations....
