AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION IN AFRICA

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1 The 25 years of the Club of Bologna Evolution and prospects of agricultural mechanization in the world November 2016 EIMA INTERNATIONAL Bologna, Italy Sinfonia Hall AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION IN AFRICA Bassam A Snobar, Jordan Brian G Sims, UK Josef Kienzle, FAO Joseph Mpagalile, FAO

2 Africa: The world s second largest continent (Area & Population) Wide diversity between its different countries, because: A few are fairly well developed but the majority are still developing There is noticeable difference in the degree of agricultural development between North Africa (NA*) and sub-saharan Africa (SSA) (see Table1) *A UN definition of NA includes seven countries lying north of the Saharan Desert (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia and Western Sahara)

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4 Comparisons of population and agricultural data for all of Africa and North Africa Compared Items Africa North Africa Population: Total (2012) (billion) - Rural (% of total) (2011) - Agricultural (% of total) (2012) % 49.3% 0.17 (15.9%) 44.8% 23.5%

5 Total GDP current US$ (2012) (trillion) (34.5%) Agricultural Land (% of total) (2011) Forest Land (% of total) (2011) Arable Agricultural Area (2011) Permanent Crops (% of total) (2011) Crop Land per Capita (ha/cap)(2011) 37.9% 22.0% 19.8% 2.6% % 1.4% 19.1% 2.8% 0.17 Fertilizer Consumption/ha of arable land and permanent crops (kg/ha)(2011): - Nitrogen - Phosphate - Potash (300%) (380%) 1.96 (120%)

6 Rural and Agricultural Populations in Africa are decreasing, but still high compared to other continents 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% Rural 2000 Rural 2014 Agricultural 2000 Agricultural % 0%

7 Yields in Africa are significantly lower than the rest of the World Cereal Pulse Coarse Grain Oil Crops Root&Tuber 2 0 Africa World The 9 Developing Countries*

8 Use of fertilizers in Africa is considerably lower than the World average Nitrogen (kg/ha) Phosphate (kg/ha) Potash (kg/ha) Africa World

9 And compared with 9 developing countries* *Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Thailand, Viet Nam Korea, Africa

10 Growth in tractor numbers between 1961 and 2000 for sub-saharan Africa (SSA) considerably lower than other regions 1600% 1400% 1200% 1000% 800% 600% 400% SSA Asia Latin America & Caribbean Near East & North Africa 200% 0%

11 The use of tractors (especially in SSA) is very low compared to other regions (including the Near East and North Africa regions) Tractors/1000 ha SSA The 9 DC (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Thailand, Viet Nam)

12 Agricultural Intensification in Africa Green Revolution had little impact Large areas are still not used for agriculture (land-grabbers are on the way) Mostly sandy soils or shallow stony soils Exposure to soil degradation

13 Smallholders in Africa in 2015 Most of the smallholders are women

14 Mechanization in Africa African governments tried to introduce agricultural machinery Structural Adjustment in the 1980s: no clear definition of the respective roles of government and private sector Agricultural mechanization entered a vicious cycle of inadequate political and economic environment hindering emergence of private sector Lack of a clear strategy for mechanization

15 Mechanization demand Harsh to extreme tropical and subtropical climates, fragile eco-systems and highly degraded soils, but also undeveloped land resources Mostly small-scale and subsistence farmers Lack of farmers skills and effectiveness of professional organizations High postharvest losses Harsh business environment Rural-Urban migration, shortage of farm power

16 Low income of farmers Low productivity Low saving of farmers Low AM demand

17 Strategy for Sustainable Mechanization Improved income of farmers High productivity High saving High AM demand Low AM demand and. Low cost of AM use High AM supply Low cost of AM

18 Sustainable Intensification Sustainable intensification means a productive agriculture that conserves and enhances natural resources. It uses an ecosystem approach that draws on nature s contribution to crop growth and applies appropriate external inputs at the right time, in the right amount. Our aim over the next 15 years is to assist developing countries in adopting save and grow policies and approaches Quote: Graziano da Silva, Director General, FAO

19 Sustainable Intensification Paradigm Strengthen eco-systems and natural processes to boost production and environmental services avoid waste, use inputs only as required by the system Focus on soil and ecosystem functions Healthy soils are the basis for sustainable crop production

20 Policies and Regulations for better mechanization options Create conducive environment for successful agricultural mechanization Remove restrictions to choice Leasing or credit programmes for imported machinery as well as locally produced machines Provide information for better decision making by farmers Legislation for safe, durable and reliable machinery and equipment

21 Increasing land and labour productivity Agricultural productivity is positively correlated with farm power More land can be cultivated But this may not be an option for smallholder farmers Africa has 600 million hectares of uncultivated arable land Conservation agriculture (no-till/reduced-till, permanent organic soil cover, crop rotations, associations and sequences) Multi-cropping Precision agriculture Controlled traffic farming Permanent raised beds with residue retention

22 Sustainable agricultural mechanization Improve timeliness of operations Insufficient farm power, especially at critical times of the cropping season can lead to delayed operations with consequent yield penalties. Reduce drudgery The drudgery associated with manual-powered traditional smallholder agriculture is a major reason driving young, ablebodied males into the urban sector in search of more rewarding work prospects.

23 Mechanization along the value chain Historically, the focus of farm mechanization has been on crop production It needs to be expanded to cover the value chain from input supply through crop establishment to harvesting, storage, processing and marketing Achieving sustainability by: Promoting modernization and commercialization of the small-scale farming sector Improving productivity whilst conserving natural resources sustainable crop production intensification

24 Mechanization potential Productivity Time efficiency

25 The way forward and proposed actions Increasing land productivity (a sensitive but limited option even in Africa) Increasing labour productivity and soil fertility through sustainable crop intensification Mechanization innovations to make cropping systems more climate resilient Mechanization to reduce post-harvest losses along the value chain Organizing farmers into groups and networks Enabling private sector mechanization service provision

26 The way forward: Policy priorities Agricultural mechanization policies and strategies to focus on: 1. Enhancing mechanization demand 2. Stabilizing mechanization supply (infrastructure) 3. Strengthening institutions needed for mechanization development Private-Public Partnerships for mechanization development Integrate mechanization and good agronomic practices for environmental sustainability (= sustainable intensification) Special focus on increasing agricultural mechanization among smallholders

27 The way forward: the next step Consultative Meeting on a Mechanization Strategy New models for sustainable agricultural mechanization in sub-saharan Africa 1st 3rd December 2016; Nairobi, Kenya Theme 1: New collaborative models on Private Public Partnerships (include finance for demand enhancing models for sustainable mechanization Theme 2: Modalities, approaches for establishing a global sustainable mechanization knowledge exchange platform Theme 3: Discuss the establishment of a Regional Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization in Africa

28 Thank you for your attention Bassam A Snobar - snobar@ju.edu.jo Brian G Sims - BrianGSims@aol.com Josef Kienzle - Josef.Kienzle@fao.org Joseph Mpagalile - Joseph.Mpagalile@fao.org