This document summarizes challenges and opportunities in agricultural mechanization in Africa, with some examples from Nepal. It notes a lack of implementation following many planning meetings on the topic. It argues for a focus on smaller scale engines, equipment, and custom hiring services, based on evidence from Asia. Examples from Nepal illustrate precision agriculture using small scale technologies like pumpsets and tractors. Challenges include a lack of local mechanics, poor infrastructure, and policies that protect local manufacturing. Opportunities include crowd-sourcing innovation, supporting professional associations, and learning from surface water development projects in Nepal.

1. Donors
Implementing Partners
Challenges and opportunities in
Africa- With some Nepal Tidbits
Scott Justice* and Stephen Biggs**
Presented at South-South Knowledge Sharing on Agricultural Mechanization Conference organized
jointly by IFPRI, CIMMYT, and the Ethiopian Agricultural Mechanization Forum Hilton Hotel, Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia 31 October- 1 November, 2017
*International Center for Maize and Wheat Development (CIMMYT, Nepal)
** School of Oriental and Africa Studies, University of London

2. 31 October- 1 November, 2017 South-South Knowledge Sharing on Agricultural Mechanization Conference organized jointly by IFPRI, CIMMYT, and the Ethiopian Agricultural Mechanization Forum Hilton Hotel,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2017 September 4th Accelerating Africa’s Path to Prosperity: Growing Inclusive Economies and Jobs through Agriculture4th - 8th September 2017. (African Green Revolution Forum)
25th July, 2016 Launching of “Feed the Future- India Triangular Training Program (FTF-ITT)” on 25th July, 2016 National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad and National
Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM), Jaipur conducted 7 training programs covering 219 executives from Kenya, Liberia &Malawi.
SAMA Valadation Workshop Addis Abba 11-12 May 2017 http://www.fao.org/africa/news/detail-news/en/c/888713/The African Union Commission (AUC) and the Food and AgricultureOrganizationof the United Nations (FAO) have urged AU Member States and relevant stakeholders to speed up the adoption of the Framework for Sustainable
AgriculturalMechanization in Africa, which was jointly developed by the two institutions. The framework was developed, to enhance sustainable
28 February 2017, a conference entitled “Agriculturalmechanisation in Africa: what strategy for progress?” Organizedby AXEMA and SIMA, with the participation of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO), the European AgriculturalMachinery Committee(CEMA), Bpifrance Export, FNCUMA, and the Pan African Farmers
Organizations (PAFO).
11 January 2017. India announced a USD 100 million Line of Credit to Kenya for agriculturalmechanizationafter talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Kenyan President, during which they also decided to deepen economic cooperation, identifyingexpansion of bilateraltrade as a “priority”.
AGCO Africa SummitOrganizingFarmers of the Future January 23, 2017 Hotel Adlon Kempinski, Berlin, Germany. Since its premierein 2012, this AGCO Africa Summithas established it
Consultative Meeting on a MechanizationStrategy New models for sustainable agriculturalmechanizationin sub-Saharan Africa 30th November – 3rd December 2016, Venue: Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya
Full report http://www.fao.org/3/a-br840e.pdf
2016 12-13 November Club of Bologna Annual Meeting http://www.clubofbologna.org/en/ 2016 - Bologna (Italy), EIMA International, 12-13 Nov XXVI Members' Meeting "THE 25 YEARS OF THE CLUB OF BOLOGNA. EVOLUTION AND PROSPECTS OF AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION IN THE WORLD"
2016 , 8 -13 Nov EIMA Exposizione Internazionalide Machine per e il Giardinaggio - holds EIMA AgriMach Fair in Bologna 8 -13 Nov 2016 EIMA International:a focus on Africa.
2016 September 5-9, African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) “Seize the Moment: Securing Africa’s Rise Through AgriculturalTransformation”, September 5-9, 2016
2016 13 July, CEMA Brussels Briefing: European Commission, CEMA, FAO & the CTA discuss smart farmingsolutions for African growers On 13 July, 2016 http://cema-agri.org/newsletterarticle/brussels-briefing-european-commission-cema-fao-cta-discuss-smart-farming-solutions
30 June 2016, Addis Ababa - The African Union Commission in collaborationwith the Food and AgricultureOrganizationof the United Nations, today launched a project on Sustainable AgriculturalMechanizationin Africa.
2016, 13 May Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) 13 May 2016 banish the hoe to the museum https://agra.org/new-model-aims-to-banish-the-hoe-to-the-museum/
AGCO’s 5th Africa Summit, January 18, 2016 Held in Berlin during InternationalGreen Week by the global equipment manufacturer.http://www.ifaj.org/news-blogs/news-detail/article/2016/02/05/title/agco-africa-1.html?no_cache=1&cHash=cc4bc738700b5c0e47b2de117707f8e6
2015 KfW and GIZ establishes the Agricultural Mechanization and Innovation Centre in Ethiopia http://www.ethiopiaprobserver.com/germany-ethiopia-commits-to-u-s-210-million-grant/
2014 July PREPARD Platform for African – European Partnership in AgriculturalResearch for Development New strategies for financingagriculturalmechanization . July 2014 http://paepard.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-strategies-for-financing.html
2015October. AfDB high-level MinisterialConference on “Feeding Africa – An Action Plan for Transforming Agriculturein Africa” organized by the Bank in Dakar, Senegal. ttp://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/article/african-countries-urged-to-prioritize-mechanized-agriculture-for-increased-productivity-16096
2014, through the Malabo Declaration, the African Union recognized the importanceof suitable, reliable and affordableaccess to mechanizationwhen it comes to accelerating agriculturalgrowth in Africa
The Africa-wideRice Mechanization Task Force (Born on the 29 July 2013)
2013 March 1 ACIAR establishes the Farm mechanisation and conservation agriculture for sustainable intensification (FACASI) project in 4 east African countries http://aciar.gov.au/aifsc/projects/farm-
mechanisation-and-conservation-agriculture-sustainable-intensification-facasi
2011 Investment in AgriculturalMechanization in Africa: Conclusions and recommendations of a round table meeting of experts. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/i2130e/i2130e00.pdf
2011 InternationalWorkshop on Mechanizationfor Rice based farming system 6 – 8th June, Held at Africa Rice, Saint Louis Senegal Funded by the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP)with IRRI, JICA , WARDA-CARD , Mat Force, Briggs and Stratton, CIMMYT/BISA(Sidhu and Chauhan). http://www.africarice.org/workshop/grisp-mech/
2009 Investmentin agriculturalmechanizationin Africa Conclusions and recommendations of a Round Table Meeting of Experts. http://africamechanize.act-africa.org/?page_id=937
A Lack of Action: Its great to have
planning meetings but… A time line of
meetings Note: Green bold indicates the few actual projects and where small gray type are meetings for call to action or planningof projectsnot yet implemented

3. Why the focus smaller scale
engines, equipment, and their
markets in services?
• Empirical evidence is that much of the mech in Asia
has been the spread of small scale engines etc and
markets in services (for example Nepal)
• Because much of the literature and policies in
developing and developed countries concentrates
on larger scale equipment 4WTs and attachments
combine harvesters etc.
• Because many policy leaders don’t see or
understand what is going on in small scale
mechanization within their own countries.
• Nepal: A new natl. policy concern with broad based
equitable economic rural development.
– Nepal’s NEW Ag Devel Strategy’s Ag Mech
document (with some CIMMYT backstopping)
shows great concern for scale appropriate
machinery that IFPRI had a implementation
project for

4. Illustrations of small scale precision
ag- in Nepal and elsewhere
• “Good enough” diesel pump
sets shallow tube wells and
lay flat delivery pipe. Approx
120,000
– Approx. 140,000 pumpsets WITH
layflat pipe brings more precise
application of water “between” AND
“within” the field the old standard
flood irrigation- field to field

5. Illustrations cont.
• From the Rice-Wheat Consortium
days- CIMMYT’s programs greatly
aided in the spread of “Good Enough”
Chinese two-wheel tractors in Nepal
– 1980s - 90s fewer than 100 to now nearly 40,000
2WTs in Nepal
– Equally distributed in hills and flatlands versus
60,000 4WTs with 95% in flatlands
– 2WTs nrings more precision to farming to smaller
farmers- timely planting, harvesting, transporting
– Nearly 100% of 2WTs hired out.
– Dry land tillage is still very much part of SP’s
business in Nepal- wheat, potato, etc. 4 different
blades for different soil conditions. AND yes
combo tillage 4WT opening 2WT finishing

6. Choice of Technology- A MUCH broader
range of options now available in Nepal
• Reapers for 4WTs, 2WTs
Self-Propelled, and Mini
Tillers. Mini Combines &
Punjabi Combines.
• All bring more precision
with on-time harvesting
reducing losses, costs and
drudgery, leading to on-
time
planting

7. Profit oriented companies involved in
own FF Days AND with District
Extension and Project
• Private Sector led marketing
activities starting in 2007 have led to
over 15,000 Chinese “Good Enough”
Mini-Tillers bringing ag mechanization
to mountain farmers in Nepal (mini
2WTs, 5-9 hp).
– Bringing more precision in timely
planting in the hills
– Meaningful for women headed HH
who are left to manage the effects of
male – youth out-migration

8. Profit oriented companies involved in own
FF Days AND with District Extension and
Project (cont.)
• 2WT reapers- a technology that had
been “on the shelf” for more than 20
years.
• Confluence of increased labor costs
and labor shortages with
demonstrations by CIMMYT-CSISA in
2015, sold 30 pcs that season.
• Following season agents and
importers demo’ing and sell 300.
• Today over 1500 2WT reapers in
Nepal

9. Supreme Importance of Custom
hiring services in Nepal
• Long history of established custom hiring
market institutions in South Asia countries
• Many non-mechanically inclined farmers
greatly appreciate access to machinery through
services.
–Many farmers simply do not want the
headaches of owning a machine

10. Challenges for All: Nowhere except China
has 2WTs seeders/planters significantly
spread
• Currently we count
nearly 40 models in
prototype and
production stages
• Fahrvergnügen
(driving comfort)
– Supreme
importance that
design for
operator comfort
as well as better
agronomy
Khedut Agro’s (as redesigned via CSISA MI
Nepal’s Design Sprint) lightweight, road
transportable, 2WT planter.

11. Challenges for All: Miss-held
conceptions about small vs large &
economies of scale
• Small scale cannot
compete with large
scale?
– Vietnam and
Thailand with
millions of 2WTs
out competing USA
rice farmers in
export markets.
• Fragmented and small
holdings highly
mechanized increasing
levels of productivity in
Bangladesh (Sattar
Mandal, 2013)

12. Challenges for African Policy Leaders and
Researchers: For African Mechanization
& Scale Appropriate Machinery
• Irrigated vs Rainfed – Dryland
– Mostly around whether small scale can penetrate and do deep plowing-
Small HP 4WT and 2WTs CA offer reduced till, shallow till, strip till offer.
• Low levels district/local mechanics
• Poor roads and inter-connectively
– reduces access to needed inputs like spare parts, diesel, etc
– Will any type of service provision work in very low density areas?
• Low population density- difficult to support local markets for services
• Maybe these areas will have to wait while we concentrate on more favorable
irrigated corridors and hotspots and then expand into more remote areas

13. Challenges for African Policy Leaders and
Researchers: Govts and some projects
focus on protecting local manufacturing
• Protecting industries while doing little to build their capacity.
• Reduced competition leads to poorer quality, less new products,
higher costs
• Nation’s farmers having to wait (decades?) for local industries to
catch up to get access to locally produced, good quality, low
cost, easily available agro-machinery.
• Protect an industry (and perceived national honor) that employ
thousands while limiting the options and choices for millions of
farmers?

14. Challenges for African Policy Leaders
and Researchers: Horsepower per
Hectare useful but not everything
• Very good for understanding and comparing internationally and
regional differences and needs
• Very low HP < 1 HP per ha probably not good
• But comparing to the high levels of few countries like Japan with 8
HP per ha, is not helpful. Actually these high levels indicate a
tremendous wastage- over investment in power.
• It should be the most efficient application of horsepower (including
reduced tillage and CA) that should be the target for governments
in Africa and everywhere

15. Challenges for African Policy Leaders
and Researchers - Asian 4WT Sector
Misrepresented in Africa
• MNC Indian and Euro/US tractor manufacturing sectors have a great desire to
push and market ever larger HP tractors which have highest profit margins
(just like auto industry) on farmers everywhere (Scott Scheare, Ohio State Univ)
• Average HP in the very successful tractor market of India is only 38 HP-
• In Nepal tractor average size of “ag tractor “is 35 HP with larger HP tractors
going for construction and peri-urban rural transport
• In Bangladesh, where 4WTs are relatively new, the MNCs push high HP (average
55 HP?) which have kept 4WT out of the double rice tillage system.
• When Brazil, India, Turkey, China governments come with concession loans,
their nation’s 4WT MNC partner is out to market the highest HP tractors.
Africans seem to be very receptive.
• Concessions kill pvt sector’s involvement in 4WT markets.

16. Challenges for African Policy Leaders
and Researchers : Delegation Visits to
the BRICS and the North
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to the international tour. It is a great way for South South Learning
but, you are being marketed to.
Sincerely,
Your friends, The BRICS, EU, USA Governments and their MNCs
• Governments and their leaders want to show case their National Mechanization Stories
and what they perceive as the most prestigious farms and technologies that they offer.
– Technologies are pushed that will increase and maximize their export profits but don’t
necessarily fit the African importing countries’ context.
• The June 2014 South South Inaugural Workshop’s participants who were considering
medium and small scale mechanization were “marketed to” by senior China officials.
– Field visit to near by 1000 ha cooperative farm with 280 HP John Deere maize mulcher,
etc
– CIMMYT 2015 visit to China, University agri-engineers admit freely that nearly all
Central Govt agro-machinery development programs are to promote “modern” large
horsepower solutions
• Delegates to India invariably taken to Punjab to see the “Indian large HP success story”

17. Opportunities: Surface and STW
Development with pumpsets in Africa-
South South Learning
• Manual Well Drilling Investment Opportunity in Ethiopia. Weight, Elizabeth ,
Robert Yoder, Andrew Keller 2013 IWMI Working Paper 155
– Brought a Nepal well digger to demonstrate manual well drilling technique
combined with 2WT mechanized well drilling?
• Pumping from surface sources along with lay flat (roll up) delivery pipe for
precision irrigation.

18. Opportunities: Crowd Sourcing Innovation
through our Pvt Sector
• In addition to Joining Farmers
Experiments (Haverkort, van
der Kamp, Waters-Bayer) we
should all be Joining Agro-
Machinery Traders Marketing
Experiments.
– Importers travel China
India much more often
and discover and bring
new machinery
technologies.
Amazing array of
new, scale
appropriate
machinery
coming from
Nepal’s private
sector agro-
machinery
traders via
China, India etc

19. Opportunities: Backstopping and
Organizing Professional Associations
• Nepal Agro-Machinery Entreprenuers Association (NAMEA) Established. No
such org prior to CSISA NP’s efforts
– Not even the large MNC tractor dealers could ever sit together due to
suspicions of one another
• NAMEA growing political clout- lobbies govt on appropriate policies including
subsidies and taxes.
• This professional organization now shares information with members on
various findings.
• NAMEA organizes Nepal delegation-group visits to India and China fairs- even
providing funding for organizations and members who cannot afford.
• Currently aiding in conducting of surveys on the agro machinery sector
• NAMEA exec committee and members get invited to various national and
international workshops (IFPRI, FAO, UN-APCAEM)

20. Opportunities: For Machinery R & D
Institutions Design Sprint’s Outsourcing
Innovation from Private Sector
• Public R&D sector many
times lacks the in house
prototyping resources.
• PPP product development
may save precious research
time and money
• Private sector feels
ownership of the designs
and more likely to go quickly
into manufacturing
• E.G. Private to private
partnerships (pic. to right):
MekaTech Mexico hires
engineer/facilities in
Yuncheng Zhongkehuakhai
Co. Ltd in China to co-
develop 2WT seeders
CSISA NP
Design Sprint
fully road
transportable
2-5 row
planter Dharti
Agro, Rajkot,
India

21. Conclusions
• There are no generalizations for agricultural and rural mechanization
policies.
– Local natural resources
– Local and intl political context
– Trade and industrial policy
– Energy policy
– Agenda of donor, MNCs, government agencies
• Diversify you sources of information, especially market information.
• Private sector is our friend and needs our help to provide on time,
competitively priced machinery inputs of all sizes and scales.
• Professional associations of the private sector can be a venue where
members business skills and acumen can be honed (by gov’t and project
business development trainings) as well as being introduced to new
new technologies.

22. THANK YOU

23. References
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Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/ifpridp01443.pdf
Biggs, Stephen & Justice, Scott. 2016. A history of debates on patterns of rural and agricultural mechanization: A capital goods perspective. (Draft February 2016).
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Dhaka 1213 , Bangladesh. http://repository.cimmyt.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10883/3394/98527.pdf

24. References (Continued)
Justice, Scott & Biggs, Stephen. 2013. Rural and agricultural mechanization in Bangladesh and Nepal: Status, processes and outcomes. Chapter 4, pp. 67-120 in Kienzle, Josef; Ashburner, John E. & Sims, Brian
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