This document summarizes research on the use of two-wheel tractors and other small-scale rural equipment in Africa. It finds that smallholder farming in Africa is increasingly limited by lack of labor and farm power. Two-wheel tractors can help address this by reducing the time needed for land preparation and crop establishment. Studies in multiple countries found that two-wheel tractors saved time and increased yields for crops like maize, wheat, and teff compared to conventional tillage. For commercial viability, the technology needs promotion, access to finance, capacity building, and supportive policies. Small mechanization options beyond two-wheel tractors, like single cob shellers, are also showing promise with the right support.

1. Experience of CIMMYT & its partners
with two-wheel tractors & other smaller
scale rural equipment in Africa
Frédéric Baudron, David Kahan, Bisrat Getenet, Raymond Nazare, Ephrem Tadesse,
Dorcas Matangi, Pascal Kaumbutho, John Sariah, Moti Jaleta, & Rahel Assefa
South-South Knowledge Sharing on Agricultural Mechanization, 31 October – 1 November 2017, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2. Labour / farm power is increasingly
becoming one of the most limiting factors
of smallholder farming in Africa
0
1
2
3
4
5
0 100 200 300
Totalgrainproductivity(tha-1)
Total labour (person.day ha-1)
Intensification??
Source: FACASI baseline, Assela, 2014

3. Land preparation is one of the most critical operation…
… and one of the most power intensive
7 days difference(from Baudron et al., 2015)

4. Forgoing tillage during land preparation allows
for quick crop establishment and makes the use
of small engines possible

5. Why two-wheel tractor in Africa?
Small and fragmented farms/fields
Small engines are common in rural Africa, appropriate for the skill-level of local mechanics
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Ghana Mozambique Tanzania Zambia
Meanfarmsize(ha)
2002
2008
(from Djurfelt, 2010)

6. Our approach

7. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Conv 2WT
Timeforcropestablisment
(hrha-1)
5.7 ± 2.2 L fuel ha-1
Case of maize: time-saving technology
Source: FACASI trials, Laikipia & Bungoma, 2014-2016

8. 13.9 ± 5.5 L fuel ha-1
Case of wheat: time-saving & yield-
enhancing technology
Source: FACASI trials, Assela, 2014-2015
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Conv 2WT
Timeforcrop
establishment(hrha-1)
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Conv 2WT
Wheatgrainyield
(tha-1)

9. Consistently yield-enhancing for small grain
crops, including teff…

10. Working with service providers

11. Beyond crop establishment: multipurpose use
of two-wheel tractors
(from Kahan et al., 2017)

12. Assessment of mechanization
service provision
• Income from
mechanization: 6540 ±
2238 USD (max 8950
USD) in Tanzania
• Most users (farmers)
quite satisfied to very
satisfield
• Increase in growth margin
for users in all four
countries
Source: FACASI assessment, Bako Ethiopia, 2016

13. Increased adoption of 2WT-based
direct seeding
2014-15: no 2WT-based DS
2015-16: 5 ha of 2WT-based DS
2016-17: 28 ha of CA
2017-18: acquired their own tractor
and planter (> 60 ha expected)

14. Increasing profitability:
technological innovation
• Local manufacturing of
cheaper attachments

15. Increasing profitability:
technological innovation
• Local manufacturing of
cheaper attachments
• Second generation
engineering
– Increased field capacity
– Improved transportability
– Improved seed metering
(e.g., for teff)

16. Increasing profitability:
technological innovation
• Local manufacturing of
cheaper attachments
• Second generation
engineering
– Increased field capacity
– Improved transportability
– Improved seed metering
(e.g., for teff)
• Expanding supplementary
irrigation
23 US$
Less than 200 US$ per ha

17. Increasing profitability:
institutional innovation
• Booking services
• Policy improvements
– Reduce import tax on
spare parts to increase
their availability
– Registration and
licensing of tractors and
operators
• Access to finance
(beyond microfinance)

18. Other cheap small mechanization
options: example of single cob shellers
• 61 US$
• Gross income > 1,000 US$ per
month
• Fast spread once promoted
One local
company started
manufacturing its
own single cob
sheller in 2016
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
2015 2016 2017
Numberofshellingservice
providers

19. Conclusions
• 2WTs may be usefull under rainfed condition in (parts of) Africa with
the right attachments (not molboard and disc plough)
• The technology works (‘good enough’): the main issue is around
commercialization (including promotion and access to finance) and
capacity building
• Many small mech technologies became available in the last decade
(small pumps, small shellers, etc) but are rarely acknowleged
• Lessons to be learnt from Asia, but African specificities:
– Biophysical: dry, hard, stony fields; uneven fields; weed load
– Socioeconomic: distance between fields; diversity of crops; resource
constraints
– Market system: poor market access; poor infrastructure; low private
sector involvement

20. Implications
1. Targeting of 2WT hire services
• Labour shortages, relatively commercially oriented agriculture, feed more
expensive than fuel in relative terms, etc.
2. Kick-start investments on a cost-sharing basis are needed where the
market is weak
• Creating demand: incentives for commercial actors
3. Encouraging the domestic manufacturing and assembly of equipment
• Joint-venture partnerships with foreign companies.
4. Capacity development strategy to build the technical and business
skills of the supply chain actors
• Training of Trainers curricula in vocational centers
5. Market linkage, in particular with financial institutions
• May need a guarantee fund
6. Advocating for key policy elements to be in place
• Labor, livestock, energy, industrialization, rural infrastructure, etc policies,
transport regulation, business-friendly environment

21. Thank you
for your
interest!
f.baudron@cgiar.org
www.facasi.act-africa.org