FAO, AU launch agriculture mechanization drive in Africa

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

Farmers especially small scale farmers will have access to Agricultural mechanization equipment’s such as tractors thanks to the new framework that has been developed between Food and Agriculture Organization and African Union.

The frame work code named Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization: A Framework for Africa (SAMA) will support farmers  in  addressing  challenges  and creating  new opportunities  to ensure  the successful  adaptation of mechanization in the Agriculture sector by the less privileged   farmers. The aim of the frame work is to increase Agricultural production through using machineries.

Under the new frame work farmers will access such machines 

Making comments on the new development between the two agencies,  AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Josefa Sacko said  Agricultural production especially among the small scale farmers was declining because majority were using traditional methods of Agricultural production. He observed that with the new frame work which targets mechanization   will uplift farmer’s production thus eliminating hunger.

 "Doubling agricultural productivity and eliminating hunger and malnutrition in Africa by 2025 will be no more than a mirage unless mechanization is accorded utmost importance," Josefa Sacko he said.

On her side the deputy Director General of FAO Maria Helena Semedo. Said that more than three-fourths of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa prepare their lands using only hand tools, a practice that entails poor productivity, repels youth and is incompatible with the continent's Zero Hunger goal.

"Farmers in Africa should be able to use modern agricultural technology, both digital and mechanical, to boost the agricultural sector in a sustainable way," said FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo.

What does the frame work Intends to do for the African farmers? ,the new framework has  identifies 10 priorities for AU member states to include in their national plans, ranging from the need for a stable supply of machine spare parts and innovative financing mechanisms, and the importance of regional collaborations that allow for cross-border hiring services.

The framework notes that successful national mechanization strategies will address key sustainability issues including gender, youth, environmental protection and the overarching principle that farming must be profitable.

It also emphasizes that these strategies should cover the entire agrifood value chain, including harvesting, handling, processing and food safety aspects, with an eye to reducing food losses, boosting rural employment and bolstering the links between farmers and consumers.

Today smaller and more affordable machinery, such as two-wheel tractors, are available hiring services using digital technologies are proving popular around the continent, underscoring how the sharing of capital assets can be leveraged to achieve greater scale and access to modern tools.

The framework notes that cross-border initiatives - for dealers, supply networks and tractor operators - can allow for viable scale and greater utilization.

Another key consideration is farm profitability. This can be fostered by giving access to markets, credit and land tenure a visible role in mechanization policies.

The framework has been designed to contribute to the pledges made in the African Union's Malabo Declaration and Agenda 2063, and to do so in a way that is private-sector driven, environmentally smart, affordable and friendly to smallholder farmers.

Its implementation will require significant contributions from other stakeholders, including public institutions and private actors such as the European Agricultural Machinery Industries Association (CEMA), which has just renewed its partnership with FAO to work on issues related to sustainable mechanization strategies in developing countries.